The Council of Grand Justices convened a meeting yesterday to review a constitutional interpretation request filed by the legislative caucus of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to have the fingerprinting provision in the Household Registration Law (
Article 8 of the law stipulates that people claiming new national identification cards must be fingerprinted, which critics say encroaches upon their basic human rights.
DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (
The Council of Grand Justices will continue to review the matter today.
Gao said after reporting to the Council of Grand Justices that a majority of people support fingerprinting, which he said reflects "a failure of human rights education."
He equated fingerprinting to strip searches, saying that the policy is akin to treating everyone like a criminal suspect. He added that fingerprinting violates people's inalienable right to privacy.
The lawmaker also said that if the government is allowed to use social order as an excuse to strip the people of their rights, then there is nothing stopping it from using other national security reasons to encroach upon people's other rights.
The government originally planned to require people to be fingerprinted when they apply for the new national identification card which is set to be issued from today.
On May 30, the DPP filed the constitutional interpretation request after human rights groups expressed concerns with the fingerprinting policy.
In view of the limited time available, the council on June 10 ordered a moratorium on the policy until it releases its interpretation.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Su Jia-chyuan (
Su made the remarks on the sidelines of an award presentation ceremony as the Council of Grand Justices began earlier in the day to review a constitutional interpretation request filed by the DPP to have the fingerprinting provision in the Household Registration Law invalidated because of concerns that it violates human rights.
The ministry had planned to require that people be fingerprinted when claiming the new version of the national identification card originally set to begin to be issued from today. However, after the legislative caucus of the DPP requested an interpretation May 30, the Council of Grand Justices on June 10 placed a moratorium on the policy until it reviews the request and releases its interpretation.
Noting that a majority of people support the fingerprinting policy, Su said, the ministry hopes the grand justices will deliver a ruling as soon as possible.
He pointed out that in the UK, an ID card bill which includes a fingerprinting requirement recently passed its second reading in the House of Commons. He noted that even the UK, a country noted for championing human rights, is rethinking its policy on fingerprinting.
In addition, the US now requires arriving visitors to be fingerprinted, Su said, adding that many people who oppose fingerprinting in Taiwan comply with the fingerprinting regulation when traveling to the US. These people are adopting a "double standard," he said.
As many industrial countries are now changing their policies on fingerprinting to protect the security of the people and the nation, Su urged the Taiwanese people to think about whether Taiwan, faced with a growing number of Chinese and Southeast Asian immigrants, should maintain the fingerprint requirement.
"The concept of human rights changes, and we need to carefully consider whether sticking to the old human rights standards will lead to social disorder," Su said.
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