National Development Council (NDC) Deputy Minister Chiou Jiunn-rong (邱俊榮) yesterday resigned after allegations that he had taken photographs of a 22-year-old woman’s legs without her consent at a Taipei MRT station on Saturday.
Chiou yesterday apologized to the public and described it as an “honest mistake,” saying he accidentally took the photos while trying to call one of his friends.
He said he immediately deleted the photos and apologized to the woman, surnamed Chen (陳).
Chiou made the comments after someone identified him on the online discussion page “Baoliao Commune” as the one who allegedly took several photos of a woman’s legs at Ximen MRT Station.
The woman caught the man and demanded that they delete the photos, the netizen said.
Meanwhile, Taipei police said that the victim has reported the case to police at Ximending (西門町) and that they would summon the accused to clarify the accusation made against him.
They are checking CCTV footage from the station, police said.
In a statement last night, NDC Minister Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶) said that she has approved Chiou’s resignation and reported the incident to Premier William Lai (賴清德).
According to the Criminal Code (刑法), a person can only be charged if they have photographed another person’s private parts, lawyer Chen Chao-chuan (陳昭全) said.
According to Article 315-1 of the Criminal Code, a person can be sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison, short-term imprisonment or a maximum fine of NT$300,000 if they are found guilty of using “audio recording, photographic, visual taping or electromagnetic means without reason to record other’s non-public activities, speeches, talks or private body parts.”
Clinical observations have shown that people with high stress levels and who are sexually impulsive are likely to take photos of others without their consent, Tri-Service General Hospital psychiatrist Yang Tsung-tsai (楊聰財) said.
Taking photos up a woman’s skirt would be a way of relieving their stress or sexual urges, he said.
If conditions worsen and the people do not receive treatment, they have a 75 percent chance of committing the offense again, he said, adding that when this sort of behavior persists for more than six months, it is typically considered a mental disorder.
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical