The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Tuesday condemned “threats of terrorism” after receiving an e-mail threatening violence over the National Palace Museum’s exhibition in Prague.
The message demanded that Taiwan shutter the exhibition or risk acts of “arson, theft, shooting or terrorism” at the Czech Republic’s National Museum, which is hosting the event, the council said in a statement.
Taiwan “solemnly condemns threats of terrorism and calls for a stop to violence, threats and other irrational behavior,” the council said.
Photo: CNA
The Mainland Affairs Council is working with Taiwan’s representative office in the Czech Republic, the National Museum in Prague and local law enforcement to enhance security, it said.
Citing unnamed sources, the Central News Agency said the person or group behind the threat had used the same account to send threatening messages to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture.
The “100 Treasures, 100 Stories” exhibition to mark the National Palace Museum’s centennial is the museum’s first overseas exhibition and part of Taiwan’s cultural diplomatic outreach.
In response, museum director Hsiao Tsung-huang (蕭宗煌) convened an emergency meeting over the threat with the museum’s departments responsible for the artifacts on display in Prague, it said in a statement.
The museum is collaborating with Taiwanese law enforcement to bolster security for the campuses, exhibition spaces and informational systems of its northern branch in Taipei and southern branch in Chiayi County’s Taibao City (太保), it said.
Security officers are on alert for suspicious activity and have been instructed to promptly report potential threats, it said, adding that regular communications is being maintained with the National Museum in Prague.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it is engaged in efforts to secure the exhibition in the Czech Republic and that it has recommended that the MAC turn over the threatening e-mail to police.
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