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.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS