Special forces units assigned to provide protection for presidential candidates were launched by the National Security Bureau (NSB) yesterday, with the team members demonstrating firearms training, martial arts skills and high-tech telecommunication devices.
The three teams of 55 special forces members each were last week assigned to personal protection duties for the three major parties’ presidential and vice presidential candidates.
They were commissioned at the bureau-administered Special Service Command Center yesterday morning.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
NSB Director-General Yang Kuo-chiang (楊國強) presided over the ceremony, with top officials from the Central Election Commission, Ministry of National Defense, National Police Agency, Military Police Command and representatives from the political parties in attendance.
In his address, Yang told the special forces units to give their utmost to fulfill their security duties as personal bodyguards for the candidates in the run-up to the Jan. 16 election, while abiding by the principles of strict discipline, political impartiality and upholding secrecy.
Yang said four special forces teams have been put into service, one each for the three major political parties and one team in reserve on the possibility of another party entering the race.
Photo: provided by the Association of Taiwan Journalists
Bureau officials said there are six female members in each team — an increase from three in the past — to provide more complete protection for female candidates, as well as for wives of male candidates.
The presidential candidates for three parties have been named: Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).
The special forces teams demonstrated use of Austrian-made Glock pistols, the primary sidearm they are to carry, and locally produced T91 rifles.
Support units presented their equipment and outlined their roles to provide high-tech telecommunication systems, anti-wiretapping and anti-phone-interception devices, sniffer dog teams for detecting explosives, anti-sniper combat teams and special units to guard against poisoning and biological attacks.
A new weapon put into service this year is a combination of a “net-shooting device” and a stun gun, which is produced by the Armament Bureau’s 205th Arsenal in Kaohsiung.
An NSB officer demonstrated its use in a live demonstration, ensnaring a volunteer in a 3m by 3m soft mesh net and halting his advance.
The net can deliver up to 35,000 volts in electric charge to incapacitate a target.
There were demonstrations by snipers, as well as bodyguard teams showing crowd control techniques, including subduing an attacker carrying weapons and protection provided for motorcades.
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