The National Security Bureau (NSB) yesterday rejected a report that National Security Council Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) suggested that the military should intervene in and handle major demonstrations.
King was accused of overreaching his authority earlier this month when he visited the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau.
King, in a meeting with unnamed officials, was reported by the officials as asking police to toughen up in dealing with mass demonstrations, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) said yesterday.
Photo: Taipei Times
In the face of large protests, the Ministry of National Defense should set up a command center to coordinate security missions, Chiu reported his sources as saying.
King allegedly added that military officials should be able to enter the police agency to direct security tasks.
Agency officials said that the officials at the meeting were surprised at King’s remarks, Chiu said.
“King infringed on the Constitution and now he is turning Taiwan into a military state,” Chiu said, accusing the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government of regarding the public as enemies.
The bureau rebutted the report in a press statement later yesterday.
It said that suggestions were made by NSB Director-General Lee Hsiang-chou (李翔宙) who accompanied King to the meeting, in light of the incident on Jan. 25 in which truck driver Chang Te-cheng (張德正) allegedly drove his vehicle past barriers and up the front steps of the Presidential Office Building.
The statement said that Lee had suggested police should establish advanced warning, intelligence-gathering, and reporting and communications systems, as well as an inter-departmental coordination system to prevent similar incidents.
King did not say that the military should handle security issues during demonstrations, it said.
The statement reiterated that King’s visits were in accordance with the bureau’s Organic Act (國家安全局組織法) and the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), which say that the bureau is responsible for directing and supporting intelligence and security agencies.
The police said in a statement that public demonstrations are handled by police in accordance with the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), and that King did not say that the military should take part in handling rallies.
Military spokesman David Lo (羅紹和) said yesterday that the military did not receive such orders as Chiu had reported.
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
RESILIENCE: Deepening bilateral cooperation would extend the peace sustained over the 45 years since the Taiwan Relations Act, Greene said Taiwan-US relations are built on deep economic ties and shared values, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday, adding that strengthening supply chain security in critical industries, enhancing societal resilience through cooperation and deepening partnerships are key to ensuring peace and stability for Taiwan in the years ahead. Greene made the remarks at the National Security Youth Forum, organized by National Taiwan University’s National Security and Strategy Studies Institution in Taipei. In his address in Mandarin Chinese, Greene said the Taiwan-US relationship is built on deep economic ties and shared interests, and grows stronger through the enduring friendship between
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday said that it would redesign the written portion of the driver’s license exam to make it more rigorous. “We hope that the exam can assess drivers’ understanding of traffic rules, particularly those who take the driver’s license test for the first time. In the past, drivers only needed to cram a book of test questions to pass the written exam,” Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told a news conference at the Taoyuan Motor Vehicle Office. “In the future, they would not be able to pass the test unless they study traffic regulations
‘COMING MENACINGLY’: The CDC advised wearing a mask when visiting hospitals or long-term care centers, on public transportation and in crowded indoor venues Hospital visits for COVID-19 last week increased by 113 percent to 41,402, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, as it encouraged people to wear a mask in three public settings to prevent infection. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said weekly hospital visits for COVID-19 have been increasing for seven consecutive weeks, and 102 severe COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths were confirmed last week, both the highest weekly numbers this year. CDC physician Lee Tsung-han (李宗翰) said the youngest person hospitalized due to the disease this year was reported last week, a one-month-old baby, who does not
RSS