TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Democratic Progressive Party said Wednesday it had decided to expel five members accused of having helped China.
The suspects were aides and party workers, little known to the public, Radio Taiwan International reported. Their expulsion is meant to safeguard national security and party discipline, the DPP Central Evaluation Committee said.
The suspects included a former aide to National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) when he served as foreign minister, a former Presidential Office consultant, an aide in the office of former Premier You Si-kun (游錫堃), a former party official, and a former aide to a New Taipei city councilor.
The five suspects betrayed the DPP’s core values and displayed unacceptable behavior, the Central Evaluation Committee said. None of the five had defended themselves against the allegations during the 15-day evaluation period because they knew they were wrong, committee chair Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) said.
The DPP recently also approved new rules for party officials visiting China. Any official planning to travel to China, Hong Kong, or Macau and meet Chinese officials needs to register before the trip and file a report afterward.
