Opposition parties accuse Xu Chia-ching, chair of Taiwan's Overseas Community Affairs Council, of taking her minor son on official trips. She says 'family paying their own airfare to see me is a basic human right,' and Premier Cho Jung-tai ordered ministries to investigate.
A controversy is growing around Xu Chia-ching, chair of Taiwan's Overseas Community Affairs Council, the body that handles administration for overseas Chinese communities. The Taiwan People's Party caucus raised the issue on Oct. 6, and reactions from many quarters followed on the 7th.
광고 문의 · 300×250What is alleged
The People's Party alleges that Xu repeatedly took her minor son along on official OCAC trips. It says her husband used an official car of the representative office in the US to ferry the son, the son was listed as a 'photographer' on business trips to several European countries, and he was hosted by local representative offices. Opposition parties criticized her for 'parasitizing the OCAC' and said it could raise criminal law issues.
Xu countered that family members paying their own airfare to visit her is a basic human right, and said OCAC spending was recently audited and confirmed to be lawful. Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Chih-chung at one point said people should understand she is a mother whose 14-year-old son is alone in Taiwan, drawing accusations of covering for her; in the afternoon the ministry corrected its position, saying it respects personal care needs but that use of public resources must follow rules and the two should be distinguished.
Investigation and past penalties
Premier Cho Jung-tai stressed that civil servants must raise their self-discipline and pay attention to perception and legal requirements. He has asked the Foreign Ministry and the OCAC to investigate and expects a prompt report. The Taipei prosecutors' anti-corruption unit has been investigating since August on suspicion of graft and unlawful benefit over the privileges at the Dongsha Island experience activity, and is looking at this matter together. The Control Yuan earlier fined NT$100,000 over the Dongsha camp.
Political reactions differ. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party's secretary-general said facts should be shown and records made public, while opposition parties denounced the damage to official integrity and questioned the investigators' enforcement. The Kuomintang compared cases in which low-ranking civil servants face heavier penalties for minor violations and questioned the fairness of the probe.
What it means for overseas Chinese communities
The OCAC handles support for overseas Chinese schools, Chinese-language education and exchanges with community groups, so its budget and trips bear directly on trust with these communities. Community groups around the world, including Korea's ethnic Chinese community, care about transparent budget execution and fair personnel operations. Sinobridge Times will report further as the investigation and probe results are confirmed.
