Any disorderly or illegal conduct that could affect the public’s rights or the operation of the Summer Universiade will not be tolerated, and will be dealt with stringently in accordance with the law, Minister of the Interior Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮) said yesterday.
Yeh also doubles as security commander-in-chief during the Games.
The Universiade is to formally begin today and runs through Aug. 30. Athletes from 142 nations are to compete in 22 disciplines at the largest sports event ever held in Taiwan.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The opening ceremony is to begin at 6pm tonight at the Taipei Municipal Stadium in Songshan District (松山).
The Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee has said that 2,500 entertainers will perform in the three-hour opening show, which is also to be broadcast on screens in six outdoor locations: Taipei City Hall plaza, Taipei Railway Station, the intersection of Xinyi and Keelung roads, Ming Yao Department Store, Pacific Sogo Department Store’s Fuxing branch and Zhongzheng Park in Taoyuan.
People will not be allowed to bring prohibited items, such as scissors, nail clippers, selfie sticks or long umbrellas, into the stadium, Yeh said.
Trucks and tractor-trailers are prohibited from passing through the vicinity of the stadium today, Yeh said, adding that police will erect roadblocks and deploy aerial drones.
Traffic will be regulated near sports venues, as well as at the Athletes’ Village in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), he added.
The Universiade’s central security command center coordinates 12 units made up of personnel from the Police Special Services Commando Unit, Military Police Command, National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, the army’s Chemical Corps Division, Atomic Energy Council and other agencies, Yeh said.
The center is to operate at the highest threat level during the opening and closing ceremonies, and one notch lower during the Games, he said.
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said it would also station four prosecutors at the stadium and Songshan police station during the opening ceremony to respond to any emergencies.
While some groups said they would stage protests at the opening, Yeh said the government respects people’s freedom of speech, but added that he hopes the protesters would express their opinions rationally and peacefully.
Additional reporting by CNA
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