National Police Agency (NPA) documents instructing police to stay on top of online postings against nuclear power, the cross-strait service trade pact and wind turbines has drawn criticism that the government is trying to bring back martial law.
An anonymous netizen posted photographs on Wednesday evening of what was claimed to be documents from Special Police Second Headquarters, giving instruction for police units to establish an “Internet army” (網軍) to monitor online postings.
The documents said the first and second squads would be responsible for monitoring antinuclear sentiment, while the third squad would focus on anti-trade pact and anti-wind turbine comments.
The squads were told to immediately report anything they found suspicious, adding that such reports could earn a small merit point, but also stated “punitive measures to be discussed” if police let any information slip.
The documents said the cybertaskforce should try to neutralize any statements detrimental to the police on social Web sites and platforms. As an example, one cited a netizen’s post complaining of being injured by police that should be met with comments that the injuries “seemed to be abrasions and were not caused by batons,” or “Could it be an old wound?”
On the Professional Technology Temple (PTT) — the nation’s largest academic online bulletin board — at least 10 people were discussing the documents, with most expressing shock at the police tactics.
Some netizens commented the methods were a throwback to the Martial Law era, which lasted from 1949 to 1987.
A netizen named “azsky” said the police actions were reminiscent of the Ming Dynasty’s dong chang (東廠) and jinyiwei (錦衣衛) intelligence units.
The jinyiwei served as the emperor’s personal guard, monitoring members of the royal family and court officials. The dong chang spied on court officials, the gentry, academics and the army.
Netizen “ayaerika” said the police were attempting to assume control of the media and falsify ideals held by netizens.
There were also claims that people were offering to buy PTT accounts so that they could comment on the “gossip” forums on Internet purchasing platforms, adding that it may be a large-scale movement by the government to manipulate debates on the PTT’s forums.
The NPA confirmed that the documents were authentic, but said police would only be searching published information and would not invade civilians’ privacy.
The Special Police Second Headquarter, tasked with the safekeeping of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, science parks and processing export plants nationwide and the four nuclear power plants, is paying attention to what is being posted on Facebook and on the PTT bulletin board to prevent harm to the public, the agency said.
However, it said the term “Internet army” was inappropriate.
Taiwan might be China’s next target after it has “walled off” Hong Kong from the rest of the world with its new national security legislation, Academia Sinica Institute of Sociology fellow Wu Jieh-min (吳介民) said on Thursday. At a seminar organized by the Economic Democracy Union, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, the Hong Kong Outlanders and the Judicial Reform Foundation, Wu said that the legislation is simultaneously a fig leaf concealing Beijing’s autocratic rule in Hong Kong and a figurative “Berlin Wall,” denying democratic countries access to Hong Kong. Wu said it is evident that Taiwan would be China’s next target. The
SAFETY CONCERNS: A construction company working nearby admitted to negligence in the incident, and is to pay a fine and other expenses related to damages Residents of homes adjacent to an alleyway in New Taipei City’s Yonghe District (永和) on Saturday were forced to evacuate their homes after the road collapsed, the New Taipei City government said yesterday. An 80m by 4m area in an alleyway on Wenhua Road (文化路) collapsed at 10:39am near an apartment building construction site where work was being done on the project’s foundation. The incident also ruptured an underground gas pipe and tilted several buildings in the area. Residents would not be able to return to their homes until tomorrow or Wednesday, when repairs are expected to be finished, the city government said. Workers
CHALLENGER DEEP: Lin Ying-Tsong was invited by Caladan Oceanic founder Victor Vescovo to join him on a 10-hour long trip in the company’s submersible Taiwanese-American Lin Ying-Tsong (林穎聰) last month became the first person from Asia and the 12th in human history to dive into the deepest part on Earth, the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. Lin, 45, an expert in deep sea acoustics with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts, joined US adventurer and Caladan Oceanic founder Victor Vescovo, 54, on June 22 in a descent to the central pool of the Challenger Deep, the deepest point of the trench, which lies at a depth of more than 10,900m. The pair made the descent in a submersible named Limiting Factor, a US$37
ARMS RACE: Two DPP lawmakers said that China’s development model differed from Taiwan’s, as it aims to become a global hegemon, while Taiwan seeks to protect itself Taiwanese national defense experts are split on how Taiwan should respond to the ever-growing budget of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), with some advocating for Taiwan to increase defense spending, while others say that little can be done. The Legislative Yuan approved NT$358 billion (US$12.1 billion) for national defense spending across fiscal 2020, a 3.47 percent increase compared with last year, while China’s military budget this year is NT$5.4 trillion, more than 15 times that of Taiwan. Regardless of whether the government adopts a zero-based budgeting method for national defense spending — in which all expenses are justified and approved each
RSS