Minister of Justice Shih Mao-lin (施茂林) said yesterday police officers should do more to crack down on drug trafficking and use because such offenses have been closely associated with other criminal activities.
Shih made the remarks while attending a "drug-free homeland" activity organized by the Taipei Prosecutor's Office to mark the June 26 International Anti-Drug Day.
In 2003 and last year, Shih said, more than 8,400kg of contraband drugs were seized around the country. Worse still, he said, 30-plus amphetamine producing facilities were discovered during the same period, indicating that amphetamine production has gradually moved back to Taiwan from China.
PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
"Official tallies also show that the number of repeat drug abusers and traffickers has been steadily rising," Shih said, adding that law enforcement agencies should strengthen cooperation in cracking down on drug-related crimes.
In addition, Shih said he is hopeful that community volunteers, school teachers and administrators as well as media outlets can launch a joint publicity campaign to help the public understand the dangers drugs pose to human health, social order and even national security.
Since many Taiwanese drug traffickers are believed to be hiding in China, Shih urged Beijing to intensify investigations into its domestic drug trade and cooperate with Taiwan to thwart drug trafficking across the Taiwan Strait.
"China should set aside its political ideology and cooperate with Taiwan to stamp out drug-related crime for the sake of protecting public health and social order," he said.
Shih's appeal for a redoubled crackdown on drug crime came two days after President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said drug abuse is not just a personal moral issue but has become an issue crucial to public order, social stability, public health and national security.
During his meeting with individual volunteers and social groups that have made outstanding contributions to the anti-drug campaign over the past year, Chen said many crimes are related to drugs.
"With drug use on the increase, new ecstasy shipment arriving and the number of repeat drug abusers and traffickers rising steadily, drug-related crime has become rampant," Chen said, adding that drug abuse has also become a major cause behind the rise in the number of people affected with HIV in Taiwan.
Against this backdrop, Chen said he hopes individual volunteers and interest groups will continue their efforts in assisting the government in eradicating drug trafficking and abuse.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
RSS