The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said it would investigate whether a Taiwanese fishing boat that was seized last year for drug trafficking had used terminal equipment linked to the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), which is operated by the China National Space Administration.
“We have since 2018 informed fishers’ associations across the nation that their members should not use BeiDou Navigation Satellite System terminal equipment, as their specifications have yet to be verified and approved,” NCC Vice Chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said.
“Our preliminary understanding from our staff in southern Taiwan is that the fishing boat could have been using a positioning box or an app linked to the BDS or an automatic identification system (AIS),” he said.
Photo: AP
If the boat used AIS, which is an automated tracking system, the Maritime and Port Bureau should determine if the use was in compliance with the Regulations on Equipment of Ships (船舶設備規則), Wong said.
However, if the boat used BDS terminal equipment, which are radio-relay devices, the NCC would determine whether the boat has contravened the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法), he said.
Businesses and individuals selling unauthorized radio frequency devices can be fined NT$10,000 to NT$200,000 (US$309 to US$6,186) for contravening the act, while those manufacturing or importing the devices without the NCC’s approval can be fined NT$100,000 to NT$1 million and would be ordered to rectify the situation, Wong said.
People use unauthorized devices to circumvent government surveillance, Wong said, adding that fishers are encouraged to use the Inmarsat or Thuraya satellite communication systems, which have been approved in Taiwan.
At a news conference in Kaohsiung yesterday, the Taiwan Statebuilding Party (TSP) called for a comprehensive inspection of navigation systems used by fishing boats across the nation, adding that fishing boats should be required to install navigation systems that meet national security standards.
Attorney Huang Hsin-ying (黃馨瑩), one of the party’s legislator-at-large candidates, said that China developed BDS for military purposes and so that it would not have to rely on GPS, which was developed by the US.
However, it is now using BDS to penetrate Taiwan’s defense mechanisms, she said.
The Ministry of National Defense plans to build a Harpoon missile military camp in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District (左營), while the city’s Cianjhen District (前鎮) is home to the nation’s largest port for distant-water fishing, Huang added.
“If fishing boats that have BDS terminal equipment installed were drafted for military exercises in Taiwan, our military deployment could be compromised, as the boats can send their locations to China via BDS,” she said.
The Fisheries Agency said that BDS terminal equipment is illegal, as the NCC has yet to approve its use and manufacturers and importers have not secured the government’s permission to use radio frequency bands to transmit satellite signals.
“We will work with local government officials, fishers’ associations and Fishery Radio Station to remind fishers to avoid contravening the Telecommunications Management Act,” it said.
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
Measures have been taken to minimize damage from Chinese espionage, the Ministry of National Defense said on Monday, in response to an alleged plan to deliver a Chinook helicopter to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. The Chinese-language CTWANT magazine earlier in the day reported that a lieutenant colonel surnamed Hsieh (謝) was approached by Chinese officers with an offer to evacuate his family to Thailand in the event of a cross-strait conflict. In exchange, Hsieh was asked to fly a CH-47F Chinook helicopter to a Chinese aircraft carrier in the Taiwan Strait, the magazine said. Hsieh initially declined, but accepted after he was
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
CHINA illness surge: Of 88 travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau with respiratory symptoms who were encouraged to get tested upon arrival, 70.6% had the flu Two hundred and sixty people with COVID-19 were hospitalized and 31 deaths related to the virus were reported last week — the highest numbers in four weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that cases are expected to peak next month. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that of the 260 people hospitalized last week with moderate to severe COVID-19, 98 percent had not received the Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted COVID-19 vaccine. Among the people hospitalized this year, 78 percent were aged 65 or older, while most of the those who were hospitalized or died have or had
RSS