The government is to link its Advanced Passenger Information System to systems in the US, Japan and Southeast Asian nations, in a move designed to help prevent terrorists entering Taiwan, with the Taipei Universiade to start on Aug. 19, officials said yesterday.
The system compares passenger lists to customs data to prevent “99.9 percent of all suspect individuals” from entering the nation, officials said, adding that such people would be prevented from boarding flights bound for Taiwan from participating nations.
Although Taiwan is not a member of Interpol and unable to obtain first-hand anti-terrorism information, it has bilateral information sharing agreements with the US and Japan, officials said.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The US helped greatly to assemble a list of terror suspects, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said.
The system helped Taiwan identify a terror suspect from the United Arab Emirates as the suspect attempted to board a flight from Kaohsiung to Shanghai in 2014, officials said, adding that the suspect was repatriated to their home country.
Athletes, coaches and guests from nations participating in the Universiade are to clear customs as if they were on visa waiver programs, needing only to display their passport and invitation pass distributed by the Universiade organization team, officials said.
Photo: Wu Jen-chieh, Taipei Times
While only Taipei police and police from four other municipalities are to be “officially” on duty during the event, officials said that officers nationwide would be on stand-by.
The government expects protests during the games, as the Legislative Yuan is to hold its third extraordinary meeting by the end of the month, officials said.
On-duty officers would number 5,000, with 2,000 students from the Central Police University and 3,000 students from the Taiwan Police College called in to help.
In the event of large-scale protests or a terror attack, the nation has more than 70,000 police officers in reserve.
Separately, the Coast Guard Administration conducted a large-scale sweep aimed at preventing criminals from smuggling guns, drugs or explosives into Taiwan, Coast Guard 7th Offshore Flotilla Deputy Chief Cheng Wen-hao (鄭文豪) said.
Meanwhile, Ko yesterday afternoon announced a trial run of systems that would be used during the games’ opening and closing ceremonies.
Taipei residents should be aware that several Universiade events would require roads to be closed, Ko said, adding that the city would announce closures in advance.
The Universiade is to be the largest-ever multi-sport event hosted by Taiwan, bringing 11,397 representatives from 131 nations, including 7,639 athletes, the Sports Administration said.
Additional reporting by CNA
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a