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DPP lawmaker calls for new ministry

As the world commemorated the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack on the US, a DPP lawmaker yesterday called for the upgrading of the National Security Bureau (NSB) to ministerial status to better protect Taiwan's safety.

Jumping on the anti-terrorism bandwagon, DPP Legislator Trong Chai (蔡同榮) urged the government to consider elevating the NSB to a ministry so that it may better ward off external threats.

The proposed national security ministry should join hands with the military's intelligence units in guarding the country's safety, the lawmaker said in a statement.

To that end, he suggested all intelligence units be integrated into one administration to provide prompt analysis for the president.

He noted that the military has placed less emphasis on counter-terrorism in recent years after a downsizing plan converted most anti-terrorist troops to military police.

Military forces remain crucial to ward off an attack from across the Strait, though China has worked out a non-conventional set of measures aimed at bringing Taiwan to heel, Chai said.

Lawmakers of all stripes have argued such a committee is necessary to make the intelligence agency more responsible following leaks of classified NSB documents last April.

With the establishment of a ministry, the NSB may propose its own spending plan, which is currently under the budget of the Ministry of National Defense, Chai said.

"The suggested arrangement would also help prevent the intelligence agency from being misused by those in power," he said.
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