The nation experienced an upsurge of illegal activities among Chinese tourists last year, with 2,152 acts of misconduct and disorderly acts reported between January and October last year, which was almost twice as many as in all of 2013, when a total of 1,415 cases were reported, according to an upcoming report by Control Yuan member Liu Te-hsun (劉德勳).
The National Security Bureau is planning an extensive investigation of the recorded illegal activities involving visitors from China, including a review of safety regulations and increasing national security awareness among government agencies, the bureau told Liu, who is preparing a report on the issue to be released this week.
Amid recurrences of identity concealment and unauthorized activities among Chinese tourists, the bureau told Liu that close background checks of Chinese tourists are problematic.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
As the current visa application system requires applicants to file online requests and the National Immigration Agency must review applications within 48 hours, the agency could not verify applicants’ personal information if they intentionally conceal important details, the bureau reportedly told Liu.
According to Liu, in response to the bureau’s statement, the immigration agency said that it would verify applicants’ identity on a case-by-case basis, and it could refuse or revoke entry permission if applicants or visa holders fail to disclose truthful information, adding that violators would be blacklisted and barred from entering Taiwan for a certain period of time.
The Control Yuan has raised concern over Chinese tourists following a security breach at Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) in October last year, when Chinese national Wu Xin (吳昕) gained access to an off-limits machine room inside the nation’s largest telecommunications company.
Wu posted dozens of photographs of machines and equipment from inside the Chunghwa Telecom facility on social media site WeChat, while claiming that the photographs were from a “top-secret agency” in Taiwan and that he was the “first Chinese ever to enter a Taiwanese military base.”
The company’s security surveillance was lax, and the incident had not come to Chunghwa Telecom’s attention until the bureau notified the company, the Control Yuan said.
However, there is no evidence suggesting that Wu was involved in espionage, the bureau said.
If any such evidence surfaces, the bureau said it would press charges against Wu, adding that he would also face disciplinary actions if he is found to have engaged in activities other than his stated purpose of entry.
The National Communications Commission levied a NT$2.5 million (US$78,800) fine on Chunghwa Telecom following the security breach, the Control Yuan said.
A senior Chunghwa Telecom employee surnamed Wang (王) who took Wu into the machine room was demoted, transferred and given a major demerit, while his supervisors were reprimanded for inappropriate supervision and failure to maintain on-site security, the Control Yuan added.
Liu said that it is necessary to raise awareness about national security across government units, while security and immigration authorities have to employ a more “active” mechanism concerning information and national security in the face of surging numbers of foreign tourists.
“National security does not rely solely on the National Security Bureau and the Ministry of National Defense, but on citizens as well,” he added.
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
GLOBAL PROJECT: Underseas cables ‘are the nervous system of democratic connectivity,’ which is under stress, Member of the European Parliament Rihards Kols said The government yesterday launched an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables, following reported disruptions of such cables near Taiwan and around the world. The Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables aims to “bring together stakeholders, align standards, promote best practices and turn shared concerns into beneficial cooperation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at a seminar in Taipei. The project would be known as “RISK,” an acronym for risk mitigation, information sharing, systemic reform and knowledge building, he said at the seminar, titled “Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum.” Taiwan sits at a vital junction on
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
RSS