A law aimed at punishing those who endanger military facilities that was passed in December 2023 is to take effect next month, introducing prison sentences of up to seven years for such acts.
The Military Installation Safety Protection Act (軍事營區安全維護條例), which was promulgated in January last year after passing three readings in the legislature, would apply to seven types of military facilities, the Ministry of National Defense said.
Those facilities are military airfields; wartime runways; missile bases; permanent national defense fortifications; military factories, warehouses and fuel stations with explosion risks; naval vessels; and fixed military communication and electronic installations.
Photo: CNA
Under the act, anyone found endangering the normal functioning of the facilities through “theft, destruction or other illegal means” would face a prison sentence of one to seven years, and a fine of up to NT$10 million (US$344,258), the act stipulates.
To support the implementation of the act, the ministry in September last year submitted seven additional regulations related to the act to the legislature. It has also issued a notice for three additional draft regulations, which define categories of important military facilities; the scope of military zones in joint civil-military areas; and exempt military agencies, as referred to in Article 3, Paragraph 4 of the act.
Permanent national defense fortifications include anti-aircraft artillery positions and command posts, the ministry said.
Facilities with explosion risks refer to ammunition depots, fuel depots and arsenals, it said, adding that fixed communication facilities include radar and surveillance stations, antenna sites, satellites and microwave communications transmitters.
The joint civil-military facilities described in the act refer to military zones at Taipei International (Songshan), Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Hualien and Penghu airports, it said.
Exempt military-affiliated facilities, of which there are 71, include Veterans Affairs Council centers, Tri-Service General Hospitals and other military hospitals, recruitment centers, military courts and financial offices, it said.
In addition to endangering military facilities, the act stipulates that unauthorized activities such as surveying, filming, photographing, sketching, documenting or conducting reconnaissance within military camps could result in up to three years imprisonment. Any tools or equipment used in such acts would be confiscated to maintain military security, the ministry said.
Filming or photographing military camps from outside without approval, if deemed to jeopardize camp safety, would be punishable by a fine ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, it said.
Commenting on the upcoming Han Kuang military exercises, which take place from tomorrow to Friday next week, the ministry said that military enthusiasts who film the drills would not incur penalties.
“The law only applies to military zones and designated exercise areas. Filming military units in public areas during transport or maneuvers is not prohibited under the act and would not result in penalties,” it said.
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