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Ma to be closely protected at race: security bureau

National Security Bureau (NSB) Director Shi Hwei-yow (許惠祐) yesterday said the bureau had made extensive preparations to provide security for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) when he takes part in the 2008 Taipei International Dragon Boat Championships tomorrow.

Two hundred agents will be deployed at the scene to provide security for the president, including underwater coverage, Hsu told the legislature’s Diplomacy and National Defense Committee yesterday.

“The president is a good swimmer, so that makes it easier for us to protect him during a water activity like this,” he said.

Starting today, a total of 167 teams will take part in the 2008 Taipei International Dragon Boat Championships, which will include a team of officials from the Presidential Office, led by Ma.

The three-day event, which will be launched at Dajia Riverside Park in Taipei’s Zhongshan District, is part of a series of activities to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on Sunday this year.

As this is the first time that the nation’s president will take part in a dragon boat race, questions have been raised over the issue of security.

Hsu assured the public that there was no need to worry about security measures, adding that he would personally oversee the security preparations at the venue.

In view of the large security manpower deployment needed for tomorrow’s event, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) panned Ma’s participation in the race as a waste of public resources.

Meanwhile, Hsu assured the lawmakers that no illegal wiretapping was being conducted in the country. If he gave such a directive, he would be violating the law, he said. Hsu also told lawmakers that only the Bureau of Investigation, the National Police Agency and the Military Intelligence Bureau have the right to tap domestic or foreign telephone calls. The NSB is limited to requesting that these three agencies to conduct surveillance on foreign enemies when necessary, he said.


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