Amid heated controversy over the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau's (MJIB) alleged surveillance of political parties and politicians, the Ministry of Justice, one of the bureau's two "bosses," yesterday reaffirmed its stance that such investigations, if truly underway, must stop.
The Investigators Reform Association, which sparked the debate on Saturday, welcomed the MOJ's announcement, while the Presidential Office, the National Security Bureau and the MJIB maintained that "no surveillance focusing on specific political parties or specific politicians is in progress."
Vice-Minister of Justice Hsieh Wen-ting (
"If," said Hsieh placing pronounced emphasis on the word, "the MJIB is engaged in work irrelevant to national security or the investigation and prevention of crimes, the ministry will again ask it to stop."
"The MJIB must ... commit itself to cracking down on `black gold' crimes."
He said that the ministry did not know whether MJIB investigators were still under orders to collect intelligence concerning activities of opposition parties and politicians after May 20 as the association claimed.
Approximately half of the MJIB's functions are so-called "criminal investigation and prevention" and are overseen by the MOJ. The other half, concerning national security, are overseen by the National Security Bureau. It is the NSB, which is supervised by the National Security Council under the chairmanship of the president, that is being accused by the association of using MJIB investigators to carry out political surveillance under the guise of protecting "national security."
Hsieh yesterday appeared careful not to make any comment on NSB businesses.
An investigator and spokesman for the investigators' association, Su Yu-chi (
He said the ultimate solution is a passage of a law enshrining the neutrality of the intelligence service.
"Before that, we hope President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen Che-nan (
"Various intelligence units report information on national affairs to the Presidential Office every day in accordance with their legal functions and duties. But there is absolutely no surveillance of individuals and political parties," he said.
"President Chen has himself been a victim of the White Terror. He has not, and will never, attack his opponents by stalking them [with the state intelligence services]."
Major political parties yesterday continued nevertheless to express concern on the matter.
New Party legislative caucus leader Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said the party would unite with other opposition parties to cut the budget of the NSB if the practice of political surveillance continued. A PFP spokesman said the president should stop "using public instruments for private benefit."
DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁), however, noted that, "It's a case of the former culprits accusing their victims," while agreeing that the neutrality of the intelligence service must be achieved.
He said that the MJIB and major opposition politicians, when they were in power, had a long history of using the intelligence service to suppress political dissidents.
Now that they are no longer in office: "What is it that now pricks their consciences so sharply?" Wu asked.
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
China on Wednesday teased in a video an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth, and the first using nuclear power, while making an allusion to Taiwan and vowing to further build up its islands, as it looks to boost maritime power, secure resources and bolster territorial claims. The video, issued on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, featured fictional officers with names that are homophones of three commissioned aircraft carriers, the Liaoning (遼寧), Shandong (山東) and Fujian (福建). Titled Into the Deep, it showed a 19-year-old named “Hejian” (何劍) joining the group, sparking
Taiwan has signed six arms procurement offers from the US totaling more than NT$208 billion (US$6.59 billion) covering long-range precision strike systems, missile stockpile replenishment and joint production of large-caliber ammunition, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The government’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget has been stalled in the Legislative Yuan as opposition lawmakers question the amount and procurement items, while the Presidential Office and defense ministry say that the full amount is necessary to safeguard Taiwan. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Monday briefed the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on the defense budget for
RSS