Recall groups seek more support for 2nd phase

• By Chen Yu-fu and Jason Pan / Staff reporters

Advocates seeking to recall a group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said the expulsion of a woman who had advocated for China to take Taiwan by force was not a free speech issue, but a national security matter.

At a news conference in Taipei, the groups urged Taiwanese to participate in the second phase of a signature drive to oust 35 KMT legislators, who campaigners said were pro-China.

“China has conducted military drills around Taiwan in the past few days, while KMT and Taiwan People’s Party members continue to create political havoc by introducing all sorts of bills and cut the fiscal budget to incapacitate the central government,” Taiwan Society chairman Weng Ming-jang (翁銘章) said.

“Our only weapon to counter them [the legislators] is our right to recall unsuited politicians,” Wang said, urging people to stand up to pro-China legislators.

Taiwan is facing a national security crisis, due to the pervasive infiltration of agents and proxies working for China in government, the military and private sectors, Union of Taiwanese Teachers vice president Pan Wei-you (潘威佑) said.

“In the past few days, immigration officials issued deportation orders to three Chinese spouses who made videos advocating that China use military force to take over Taiwan,” Pan said. “They are abusing our freedom and democracy.”

“This situation is no longer a free speech issue, it is a national security issue. Yet we have KMT legislators, 75 so-called ‘academics’ and other figures who condemn our government for contravening free speech,” Pan said.

Meanwhile, a Chinese court sentenced Taiwan-based publisher Li Yanhe (李延賀) to three years in jail on sedition charges, he said.

Li, who was born in China and writes under the pen name Fucha (富察), worked as editor-in-chief of Taiwan-based Gusa Press (八旗文化).

KMT legislators and party officials have been silent on Li’s case since his arrest and detention in 2023 while visiting Shanghai, Pan said.

China has escalated its infiltration efforts, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) said.

“On Tuesday, Beijing announced military exercises aimed at Taiwan, but the KMT still only blames its own government for the drills,” Lin said. “It is outrageous that China seeks to militarily intimidate Taiwan, yet KMT party leaders are mostly silent, and even has KMT officials visiting China right now, while in legislative sessions, they impeded enhanced national security bills proposed by the DPP,” she said.

Separately, a group of retired military officers on Tuesday joined tech tycoon Robert Tsao (曹興誠) at a news conference in Taipei, where they called on all active or retired military personnel to support recalling the KMT legislators to safeguard Taiwan and repel hostile actions by China.

The event sought to help recall campaigners gather enough signatures to reach the threshold for the second stage of the recall drive.

“Today we are here to defend Taiwan, and to fight against a military invasion by China, as our president has declared the Chinese regime a ‘foreign enemy force,’ so we must remain alert and bolster our civilian defense to prepare for any contingency,” said Tsao, who was accompanied by military personnel, including two retired major generals, Chiu Wei-pang (丘衛邦) and Yu Chung-chi (余宗基).

“The KMT has become subservient lap dogs to the Chinese Communist Party. It is time to oust pro-China legislators and clean up the Legislative Yuan,” Chiu said.

Tsao and citizen groups also announced a series of outdoor events to promote the recall, including a 5km walk or run at Hualien City’s Pacific Park at 9am tomorrow.

The event’s sponsors — the Kuma Academy, Taipei Trust in Democracy Association and other groups — are also sponsoring the two-day “Black Bear Forest Festival” (黑熊森遊會) at the Hualien City Creative Culture Park at the weekend.