NSB to mobilize guards to ensure campaign safety

More than 200 bodyguards completed their training at the National Security Bureau (NSB) yesterday and will be deployed to protect candidates in the March presidential election.

The bureau is required by law to provide security protection to presidential and vice presidential candidates from their registration date until the election is over. Registration for candidates will start on Saturday, and the election will be held on March 22.

NSB chief Shi Hwei-yow (許惠祐) said security applicants went through a strict screening process in which those with marked political affiliations were weeded out. Training began last July.

Shi said that the bureau would offer monetary rewards to informants who expose any misconduct by the recruits.

He said the bureau would deploy 45 security personnel to protect each set of candidates, and they have rented apartments near the candidates' homes.

"We are like the midwife whose job is to ensure the safety of the mother and the baby," he said. "It is not our concern whether the baby is a boy or a girl."

Speaking at a commencement ceremony at the Special Forces Center in Dazhi (大直), Taipei, yesterday morning, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said he would like to see security agents remain politically neutral, adding that he hoped an election-eve assassination attempt would not happen again.

On March 19, 2004, bullets grazed Chen's stomach and hit Vice President Annette Lu's (呂秀蓮) knee as the pair stood side by side while campaigning in the back of an open-top vehicle in Tainan.

Although the inquiry into the case has ended and the investigation report was made public, the political repercussions continue, Chen said.

Chen emphasized the importance of protecting candidates in the country's fourth presidential election, which he said bore historic significance and would draw a lot of international attention.

Protecting the candidates is a legal responsibility, not a service for specific individuals or political parties, Chen said.

Security personnel must refrain from engaging in any activity that interferes with their legal duties, he said.

After the speech, Chen inspected the bureau's display of the latest security equipment and vehicles and watched a performance of martial arts and shooting skills.

Among the new equipment, a French-made acoustic gunshot detector attracted the most attention. Officials said the system can locate the origin of a gunshot by detecting the shock waves created by the projectile as it leaves the muzzle of a gun. However, it is only suitable for use at fixed locations.

Chen expressed great interest in the gunshot detector, often turning to ask Shi questions.

In related news, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said he would wear a bulletproof vest only when it was necessary because the heavy vests could be burdensome, especially when he has a busy schedule.

Hsieh's camp introduced its campaign team yesterday. Former Government Information Office (GIO) minister Pasuya Yao (姚文智) heads the culture and information department; Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) heads the news department; and former DPP legislator Luo Wen-chia (羅文嘉) will be executive officer of the policy committee.

Additional reporting by Hsu Shao-hsuan