Eight Taiwanese are being monitored because of suspicion they are affiliated with the Islamic State group, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday.
Bureau section head Huang Yu-shun (黃裕順) told a legislative hearing that the eight were mentally unstable and the bureau was keeping close track of them.
In a previous report to the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, the bureau said eight Taiwanese had been identified as possible Islamic State sympathizers.
Huang was asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) for an update on the situation.
Tsai also asked about the deportation of an Indonesian woman late last month on suspicion she was affiliated with the militant group.
NSB Director-General Peng Sheng-chu (彭勝竹) said the woman had been deported because her work in Taiwan was not consistent with the stated purpose of her entry and she had overstayed her visa.
On the possibility of Islamic State affiliates taking advantage of the Universiade in Taipei to enter Taiwan, Peng said the bureau has security measures in place and has been exchanging information with other nations on a list of suspected Islamic State members.
So far, no one on the list has entered Taiwan, Peng said, adding that the bureau will continue to cooperate with the National Immigration Agency to monitor arrivals.
More than 12,000 athletes from 150 countries are to take part in the student games from Aug. 19 to Aug. 30.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
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