Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed an amendment to the National Security Act (國家安全法) that would increase the minimum punishments for treason.
Article 7 of the act states that “any person, who intends to endanger national security or social stability and commits an offense” such as espionage or the sharing of national secrets with a foreign force would face up to seven years in prison and a fine of NT$50 million to NT$100 million (US$1.56 million to US$3.12 million).
Chen proposed increasing the minimum prison term to 10 years and the minimum fine to NT$100 million to deter those who would spy on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The amendment would also increase the maximum fine to NT$200 million.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
He also proposed expanding the scope of information-sharing that would be considered a crime in the act.
Article 2 currently lists “confidential documents, drawings, images, messages, articles or electromagnetic records that are for official use.”
That should be expanded to include items that “should be kept secret for national security or public interests,” Chen said.
He also proposed amending the National Intelligence Service Act (國家情報工作法) to require the establishment of specialized national security courts to be handled by judges with professional knowledge related to national security.
The judges would receive a certain number of hours of national security-related training, and would undergo annual courses, he said.
Separately, DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) and others proposed a draft amendment to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) that would require the revocation of long-term residency rights of Chinese spouses found to present a national security risk.
Under the proposal, those found to have committed offenses of civil strife or foreign aggression as stipulated in the Criminal Code would be deported.
However, those deemed to present a national security risk, but who have not committed any crime, would only have their long-term residency rights revoked and would be permitted to remain in Taiwan as a dependent of their spouse.
Crimes to which the amended measures would apply would include developing organizations for the CCP or stealing business secrets from companies producing core technologies, as stipulated in the National Security Act, Shen said.
The measures would also apply to those who have contravened the National Intelligence Service Act by delivering confidential information to China, and those who have breached the Anti-infiltration Act (反滲透法) by intervening in election activities and have been prosecuted, or received deferred prosecution, he said.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS