The government has begun installing full-body scanners and other high-tech facilities to beef up security at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
Department of Aviation and Navigation Deputy Director-General Han Chen-hua (韓振華) said that airport security personnel used to conduct a body search on passengers who triggered alarms on metal detectors, but “because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are speeding up the installation of zero-contact security devices.”
Five full-body scanners have been installed at the airport — three in Terminal 1 and two in Terminal 2, Han said, adding that passengers would be asked to enter body scanners if security personnel notice something suspicious.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications via CNA
Next year, a new carry-on luggage inspection system would be installed in Terminal 1, which automatically recycles trays and separates normal luggage from that suspected of containing prohibited items, he said.
More state-of-the-art aviation security devices would be installed in Terminal 3, which is under construction, he added.
Aside from full-body scanners, the terminal would be equipped with a remote security monitoring center and computed tomography scanners that would be able to detect explosives, Han said.
The ministry is also planning to have smart aviation security systems installed at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Taichung Airport and Kaohsiung International Airport, he said.
Since 2019, the government has enforced a one-stop security system to waive the inspection of checked baggage of transit passengers from the US, Canada and New Zealand, which has also helped minimize person-to-person contact, he added.
The government was planning to discuss with aviation officials in the three nations waiving the inspection of carry-on luggage, but the talks were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Han said.
Taiwan’s airports have since June also implemented comprehensive security inspections for exported goods in accordance with the latest International Civil Aviation Organization cargo security policy, he said.
The total number of security inspections per month has reached 1.58 million, he added.
A study published by online booking platform Expedia revealed searches for travel to Taipei have ballooned 2,786 percent following the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions due to the city being a “designation dupe” for Seoul. The TikTok trend for duping — referring to substituting a designation for a more inexpensive alternative — helped propel interest in Taipei, it said in a consumer survey titled “Unpack ‘24,” which was conducted from September to October in 14 countries. Location dupes are “every bit as delightful as the tried-and-true places travelers love,” Expedia trend tracker Melanie Fish said of the year’s popular alternatives, which
SAFETY IN REGULATION: The proposal states that Chiayi should assess whether it is viable to establish such a district and draft rules to protect clients and sex workers The Chiayi City Council passed a motion yesterday to assess the viability of establishing a regulated red-light district. The council yesterday held its last session of the year, at which its fiscal 2024 budget was approved, along with 61 other proposals. The proposal to assess the viability of establishing a red-light district was put forward by independent Chiayi City Councilor Molly Yen (顏色不分藍綠支持性專區顏色田慎節). The proposal cited 2011 amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which stipulate that city and county governments can pass autonomous regulations on the sex trade to manage the industry and guarantee industry workers’ rights. A ban on the
A small-scale protest that called on the government to cancel its plan to welcome Indian migrant workers in a bid to tackle Taiwan’s labor shortage was held in Taipei yesterday. During the protest, comprised of a few dozen people staged in front of the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard, the protest’s chief initiator, a woman identified only as “Yuna” said they wanted the central government to reconsider allowing migrant workers from India to enter Taiwan. Most people in Taiwan had little knowledge about the potential plan to allow in Indian migrant workers until a report in the media last month, she
STABILITY AND CHANGE: Flagging in recent polls, Ko this week pledged to maintain President Tsai’s foreign policy, with an emphasis on improving China relations Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday reiterated that he is “deep-green at heart” in response to accusations that he is pivoting his campaign to align closer with the ideology of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the face of flagging polls. Ko made the remark at an agricultural policy conference in Taipei, repeating his comments from an interview with CTS News a day earlier. Ko told the CTS host that he would continue to pursue President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national defense and foreign policy in general, but with an emphasis on establishing a rapport with