Australia's government rushed controversial emergency anti-terrorist legislation through parliament yesterday after Prime Minister John Howard said he had received credible reports of a planned terror attack against the country.
"We have over the past few days received some specific information from intelligence and police sources about a possible terrorist attack," he said in a televised interview after the lower house of parliament passed an amendment increasing authorities' powers to crack down on suspected terrorists.
Howard declined to give details about the information at an earlier press conference, and said the terror alert level would not be raised.
Critics quickly suggested the timing of Howard's announcement of an unspecified terror plot was linked to his government's plans to push through a raft of new anti-terror laws that have been labeled a threat to civil liberties.
Howard, however, said that following the new alert from security agencies, he had obtained the support of political leaders from across the political spectrum to alter existing legislation so that police could act against suspected terrorists even before they had details of a specific planned attack.
"We have decided to alter the existing terrorism legislation to substitute for a current provision which says that in order to prove a charge you have to prove an established preparation for a specific terrorist act with a more general provision providing for a terrorist attack," he said.
After its passage through the lower house, Howard said the new law would go to the Senate during a special session today.
"The government is satisfied on the advice provided to it that the immediate passage of this bill would strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies to effectively respond to this threat," he said.
Australian intelligence on Tuesday issued a report raising the specter of home-grown terrorism.
The new amendment would add further grounds for banning groups and "clarify that, in a prosecution for a terrorism offence, it is not necessary to identify a particular terrorist act," Howard said.
The amendment is part of controversial new anti-terror laws that the government drafted after the London transport bombings in July.
RESTAURANT POISONING? Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang at a press conference last night said this was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan An autopsy discovered bongkrekic acid in a specimen collected from a person who died from food poisoning after dining at the Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said at a news conference last night. It was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said. The testing conducted by forensic specialists at National Taiwan University was facilitated after a hospital voluntarily offered standard samples it had in stock that are required to test for bongkrekic acid, he said. Wang told the news conference that testing would continue despite
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
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