Proposals to amend security and defense laws are aimed at better preparing the nation’s private security guards for civil defense in wartime, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) said yesterday.
Chang Liao and other DPP legislators have proposed amendments to the Private Security Service Act (保全業法) and the All-out Defense Mobilization Readiness Act (全民防衛動員準備法) to allow the Ministry of National Defense to train private security firms in civil defense so that they can be incorporated into the nation’s civil defense system in wartime.
“Security personnel are involved in protecting various aspects of life in Taiwan, such as residential buildings, commercial offices, transit stations, construction sites, factories, hospitals and power plants,” Chang Liao said. “This group of frontline staff is familiar with the public and the nation’s terrain, and could be an important force in defending the country.”
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
One of the proposals would amend Article 15 of the All-out Defense Mobilization Readiness Act, which states that during wartime, authorities should organize “professional citizens, civil defense forces, volunteer firefighters and rescue personnel, as well as ... school youths, retired veterans” and others into defense plans. The amendment would add security guards to that list.
The proposals would benefit defense efforts by offloading some tasks traditionally performed by the military and police to the private security industry, Institute for National Defense and Security Research postdoctoral researcher Hsu Chih-hsiang (許智翔) said.
Efficient deployment of labor is important to a nation like Taiwan, which has “relatively few troops,” he said, adding that civil defense forces could respond effectively to disaster scenarios.
Community security would be important in helping people take refuge, as they would know the location of safe spaces, civilian resources and how many people could be accommodated, he said.
“For example, look at the war in Ukraine. When residential and commercial buildings came under fire, building security knew better than anyone how to evacuate those buildings,” he said. “When whole communities need to evacuate or take refuge, it is community authorities who best know what refuge spaces there are, and what resources the community has.”
Security Industries Association president Chang Ta-chang (張達錩) said he hoped the law could be amended as soon as possible so that the military could start training security guards.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS