The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday accused the government of conducting “surveillance of the opposition” after the installation of CCTV cameras in front of its office in the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
KMT Legislator Alex Fai (費鴻泰) told a conference outside the legislative chamber that the cameras — which have facial recognition and sound recording capabilities — were installed without the caucus’ assent.
The lack of such devices outside the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus office just down the corridor suggests the decision was politically motivated, Fai said, asking: “When did Taiwan become a police state?”
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
KMT caucus secretary-general Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文) said that the cameras that were installed in 2014 were not so out-of-date that replacement was necessary.
Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) should explain the matter, she said.
KMT lawmakers also lodged a protest on the legislative floor.
You asked Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Jih-jia (林志嘉) to halt installations until the matter is looked into and a report is delivered within 10 days.
Cameras were installed in 2012 following a request by the KMT caucus, which at the time was concerned about possible break-ins at office, Lin said.
As with the originals, the replacement cameras can only record video, and have no sound recording or facial recognition capabilities, he said.
The KMT caucus is free to sign a statement that it does not wish the installation to continue, he said.
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Ann Kao (高虹安) said that no one would oppose the installations if they were for security purposes, but there should be more communication between the two sides prior to any such work.
There should also be strict regulations on how footage from the cameras is allowed to be used, Kao said.
Meanwhile, the DPP on Facebook yesterday said that the KMT caucus’ actions were out of line with the Occupational Hazard Insurance and Protection Act (勞工職業災害保險及保護法) and that its accusations about being surveilled were nonsense.
The KMT caucus said that the DPP, as the ruling party and having a legislative majority, should not shy from answering legitimate questions on possible abuse of surveillance footage.
It can do better than smearing the opposition and shifting the focus, the caucus said.
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