The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed the third reading of an amendment to the Act Governing the Use of Police Weapons (警械使用條例), to provide police officers with more flexibility and guidance in their use of firearms.
The Executive Yuan proposed the amendment after Railway Police Bureau officer Lee Cheng-han (李承翰) was stabbed in 2019 during a confrontation with a train passenger who had refused to pay the full fare.
The amendment was sent to the legislature in May 2020 and passed a preliminary review at the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee in December 2020, after which the process came to a halt.
Photo: CNA
Pressure to pass the amendment was revived after two Tainan police officers in August were stabbed to death by an inmate who failed to return following his temporary leave from a minimum-security prison.
The amended act relaxes rules governing weapon use for police, stipulating that if officers are unable to use firearms in the course of duty, they can use other items that can serve as weapons.
Police officers are allowed to use firearms if a person uses lethal weapons, dangerous objects or vehicles to attack, harm, seize or coerce officers or others, the amended act says.
Firearm use is also allowed if a person intends to grasp police firearms or other equipment that could cause casualties, or when police officers or others are in immediate danger, it says.
When police use of firearms causes casualties or controversy, the Ministry of the Interior should form a committee of experts and representatives from relevant agencies to investigate the timing and details of the incident, it says.
When firearm use causes an injury or a casualty, police officers should call for emergency medical care or send the injured person to a hospital, it says.
Police management should investigate the case and provide litigation aid and counseling services to the officers involved upon receipt of the committee’s report, it adds.
The State Compensation Act (國家賠償法) applies if an officer’s use of firearms on duty contravenes regulations and infringes on a person’s freedom or right, it says.
If the firearms use complies with the regulations but causes damage to a person’s life, body or property, compensation can be requested, it says.
Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) thanked legislators and legislative caucuses across party lines for passing the amendment, adding that the act is now more flexible and practical.
The ability to investigate incidents by committee, along with the compensation mechanism, can further protect police officers’ rights and interests, he added.
Additional reporting by Wu Su-wei
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
THE GOOD WORD: More than 100 colleges on both sides of the Pacific will work together to bring students to Taiwan so they can learn Mandarin where it is spoken A total of 102 universities from Taiwan and the US are collaborating in a push to promote Taiwan as the first-choice place to learn Mandarin, with seven Mandarin learning centers stood up in the US to train and support teachers, the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) said. At the annual convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages held over the weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana, a Taiwan Pavilion was jointly run by 17 representative teams from the FICHET, the Overseas Community Affairs Council, the Steering Committee for the Test of Proficiency-Huayu, the
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
RSS