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NSB denies bugging lawmakers

Before a group of extremely perturbed legislators yesterday, the deputy director of the National Security Bureau (NSB, 國安局), Huang Lai (黃磊), denied that the agency monitors their telephone conversations. He noted that his comments included mobile telephone calls.

At a meeting of the legislature's Judicial Committee (司法委員會), KMT legislator Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才) and TSU lawmaker Su Ying-kuei (蘇盈貴) also grilled Vice Minister of Justice Yen Da-ho (顏大和) and National Police Administration Director-General Wang Chin-wang (王進旺) about whether the private phone conversations of the nation's 225 lawmakers' are routinely monitored.

The lawmakers were especially interested in whether such recordings have been or are now being used for political purposes.

Su said that most lawmakers are well aware that their phone lines have been bugged, because information that could only have been gleaned from such conversations appears -- on a regular basis -- in the hands of political opponents just days later.

"None of us has ever been informed by the authorities about why these invasions of privacy take place. Is this reasonable? We are not criminals. We are not traitors. We are lawmakers," Su said with some bitterness.

"Would you dare to admit?" asked the KMT's indignant Lo, "how many of us are now being monitored? Are PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) now being monitored? Is former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) being monitored? What about President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) or Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮)?"

Huang denied that investigators were monitoring lawmakers or any of the other people Lo mentioned. In addition, he said that it would be "impossible" to do so.

He stated that there is a legal process to follow when investigators, police or prosecutors believe there is a need to monitor someone's telephone conversations.

"Law enforcement officials have to ask for the approval of chief prosecutors in the district in which the suspect resides or works if they believe it necessary to monitor that person's telephone conversations," said Huang.

He also said that investigators are allowed to monitor phone calls of suspects -- after a warrant is issued -- for up to one year after the request is approved.

When the one year warrant deadline expires, Huang said that officials must inform the chief prosecutor again and seek another warrant.

What Huang said next came as a shock and led to further consternation among lawmakers.

According to Huang, after the first year of monitoring -- the law dictates that the subject of the wiretap must be informed by the local chief prosecutor of the monitoring -- regardless of the particular circumstances of the investigation.

The justice ministry's Yen added that investigators only monitor, screen or investigate a subject's phone conversations when he commits crimes or his behavior violates national security.

"The NSB handles cases that concern national security, not politics," he added.
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