Interior Minister Wu Poh-hsiung told a July 7 press conference that the number of so-called "black-listed" persona non grata would be reduced from 282 to a mere five.

The announcement came immediately after the ROC Legislature approved revisions to the National Security Law that removed the onus of "violation of the Constitution" from political activities short of advocating Taiwan independence or communism.

Judicial Yuan President Lin Yang-kang had given an indication of the softening to come in remarks made during his recent trip to the United States.

The revised law continues to prohibit entry and exit of persons considered a potential threat to national and regional security.

A proviso was adopted, however, to permit the re-entry of former Taiwan residents now living abroad who have not registered as mainland residents since 1949, and have no record of violence or terrorism.

The revision of the sedition law, Article 100 of the Criminal Code, already has resulted in the release from prison of 10 non-violent advocates of Taiwan independence or communism.

In the interest of protecting individual privacy, Interior Minister Wu declined to give names or information about the five that will remain on the blacklist.

Shih Ming, leader of a Taiwan independence group in Japan, and Lin Cheng-chang, a suspect in a 1976 bombing case, are thought to be on the active list. Even they will get a hearing to determine their eligibility to go home, if they apply.

Wu said their applications would be reviewed by an Entry and Exit Bureau committee. If rejected, the applicants could appeal.

The Legislature also gave coast guard security agents search and seizure rights in the apprehension of suspicious persons, goods and transportation equipment entering or exiting the ROC border.

Ruling Kuomintang legislators, however, voted down a proposal by opposition Democratic Progressive Party members to throw out criminal evidence collected by military and judicial security arms during the now-defunct emergency Period of National Mobilization for Suppression of the Communist Rebellion.

Such evidence apparently can still be used in later trials.

The DPP proposal was said to have been drafted in an attempt to support Chang Tsan-hung's appeal of a 10-year sentence for masterminding a letter-bomb attack.

Chang is founder of the U.S.-based World United Formosans for Independence. He was sentenced on June 8 for the 1976 sneak attack that blew the left hand off the governor of Taiwan Province.