Taitung magistrate won't be penalized over Straits Forum video: MAC

Taipei, Aug. 13 (CNA) Taiwan's central government will not penalize Taitung County Magistrate Yao Ching-ling (饒慶鈴) over her prerecorded appearance at China's Straits Forum after determining she did not violate the Cross-Strait Act, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Thursday.

Speaking at a regular news briefing in Taipei, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said Yao's participation via a prerecorded video was "not entirely consistent" with the government's policy barring central and local government officials from taking part in the forum or related activities "in any form."

However, a review of Yao's remarks in the mid-June video found they were limited to "courtesy greetings and the promotion of Taitung agricultural products" and did not touch on political issues, Liang said.

Following an administrative investigation by the Ministry of the Interior and consultations among relevant government agencies, the central government concluded that Yao had not violated relevant provisions of the Cross-Strait Act and decided not to impose a penalty, he added.

The investigation had focused on whether Yao violated Article 33-1 of the act, which prohibits individuals and organizations in Taiwan from cooperating with Chinese agencies engaged in "political work against Taiwan" or activities affecting Taiwan's national security or interests.

MAC, Taiwan's top government agency for cross-strait affairs, has characterized the annual Straits Forum as a Chinese Communist Party "united front platform" targeting Taiwan.

On June 4, it announced that both central and local government officials were barred from attending the event, expanding a previous restriction that applied only to central government personnel.

Yao, a member of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), had applied to attend the forum in person but was denied permission by the central government in early June.

She later appeared in a prerecorded video at a June 13 signing ceremony held as part of the forum in Xiamen, Fujian Province, which was also attended in person by China's Taiwan Affairs Office head Song Tao (宋濤).

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported at the time that Yao offered her congratulations and said the purchase agreements reached by Chinese companies were "a major encouragement" to Taiwan's farmers and fishers.

Asked Thursday whether the government would prohibit officials from participating in next year's forum "in any form," Liang said cross-strait relations are constantly changing.

"I can't tell you now what will happen next year," he said.

As the leader of a major agricultural county in eastern Taiwan, Yao said on June 17, after MAC announced the investigation, that she had a clear conscience about her actions and that recording the video was "the right thing to do."