Security for the closing ceremony of the Taipei Summer Universiade on Wednesday is to be increased to include a more robust allocation of personnel to ensure the safety of athletes, an official said yesterday.
Police have received information indicating that groups protesting pension reform plan to stage a demonstration at the event, said the official, who declined to be named, adding that divisional commanders are reviewing security personnel allocation at the venue.
While the groups have claimed that they were not responsible for violence outside the Taipei Municipal Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Universiade on Saturday last week, police have identified the individuals who allegedly hit police and threw a smoke bomb as pension reform protesters.
Photo: CNA
Minister of the Interior Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮), Deputy Minister of the Interior Chiu Chang-yueh (邱昌嶽) and National Police Agency Director-General Chen Kuo-en (陳國恩) are to preside at a National Policy Agency central safety command center, commanded by Yeh, during the closing ceremony and keep in close contact with the Taipei Police Department, the official said.
Throughout the Universiade, about 7,000 security personnel — approximately 6,000 police officers and 1,000 students from the Taiwan Police College and the Central Police University — have een deployed at venues every day, but the security forces are to be increased to more than 10,000 for the closing ceremony, the official added.
Security personnel are to be tasked with strictly enforcing the law and removing protesters to ensure the safety of athletes and attendees, the official said, adding that Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) is scheduled to attend the event.
The information received by the police also indicates that dozens of other groups are planning to protest at the closing ceremony, including pro-unification, pro-independence and civic groups, the official said.
Premier Lin Chuan (林全) at a meeting on Thursday instructed Yeh to supervise the security for the closing ceremony.
Asked whether that directive meant a heightened security level, Lin said the Taipei City Government is in charge of security for the Universiade, while establishing the control center with Yeh in command is a demonstration of the central government’s support and assistance to the city government.
Separately yesterday, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said security preparations for the closing ceremony have been discussed, but as more intelligence has been gathered, another meeting is to be held tomorrow to finalize plans.
Asked whether the city government knows which groups plan to protest at the event, Ko said various groups have expressed their intention to protest, but the police would communicate with some of them beforehand.
Asked about the possible establishment of a special demonstration area outside the venue and whether a buffer zone separating attendees and protesters would be widened, Ko said he has discussed the issues with Taipei Police Department Commissioner Chiu Feng-kuang (邱豐光) and a final decision is to be made tomorrow.
Regarding whether barricades are to be employed, Ko said: “Why should I tell you our security plans?”
However, he added that such a measure has been considered, but would hopefully not be necessary.
Additional reporting by Shen Pei-yao
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