TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Kuomintang Chairman Eric Chu on Tuesday (April 16) warned against the misuse of Taiwan's five national security laws to infringe on human rights. He cautioned that these laws should not become a tool for specific individuals or the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to manipulate elections and suppress opposition parties.
The five national security laws include the Criminal Code, the National Security Act, the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, the Anti-Infiltration Act, and the Classified National Security Information Protection Act.
Chu's comments come in the wake of former President Ma Ying-jeou's recent visit to China, where he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the second time. Following the visit, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen called for amendments to the Anti-Infiltration Act to remove obstacles to cross-strait exchanges. Hsiao warned the Kuomintang that failure to expedite these amendments could lead to another defeat in future presidential elections.
Chu emphasized that many innocent village heads, community members, and the public have been harmed and implicated by the Anti-Infiltration Act and the five national security laws. He urged the DPP to stop using ideology and party positions to prevent amendments and to revise parts that currently infringe on human rights or serve as tools for party manipulation.
Speaking about Ma's visit to China, Chu affirmed the trip and said it opened a door for cross-strait peace. He called on DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te to choose dialogue over confrontation, exchange over hostility, and win-win over lose-lose in cross-strait relations.
