The Control Yuan is to carry out an investigation of National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰), who has made controversial visits to intelligence units and police investigation agencies in recent months, that critics say infringe on others agencies’ jurisdiction.
Lin Hsien-tung (林憲同), the lawyer who filed the complaint against King to the Control Yuan requesting the watchdog to carry out an investigation, yesterday said he had received an official reply from the former Control Yuan president.
“Control Yuan president Wang Chien-shien (王建煊), on July 31, the final day of his tenure, sent a formal letter to the NSC requesting them to explain the details of King’s visits to these agencies, and asked about authorization for the visits and the legal basis for his actions,” Lin said.
“According to Article 2 of the Organic Act of the National Security Council (國家安全會議組織法), the NSC is an ‘advisory body’ to provide guidance and consultation to the Presidential Office on major policy directions,” Lin said. “This means the NSC is a type of assembly-meeting body, with the president acting as its chairman. When the president makes policies, decisions by NSC are used only for reference.”
That means the NSC is an “internal advisory body” and it does not have independent administrative authority over external functions, Lin said.
“There is a National Security Bureau [NSB], aside from the NSC. The NSC and the NSB operate at different levels in the government structure and have their own different functions. The two bodies must not be confused regarding their roles,” Lin said.
He said that the NSC secretary-general is mandated by the president to coordinate and provide guidance on NSC functions and supervise the council’s personnel, according to Article 6 of the Organic Act of the National Security Council.
“The NSC secretary-general does not have independent authority over the NSB, the National Police Agency, the Bureau of Investigation or other intelligence bodies. Therefore, King has no authority to make such visits to these agencies. What King did was in violation of the Constitution and he is sabotaging our governmental system,” Lin said.
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
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