National security officials have requested that military police be deployed to guard key infrastructure across the nation, in a bid to protect them from sabotage by sympathizers or supporters of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during wartime, also known as “fifth column” activities, military sources said yesterday.
The threat from fifth column units is increasing due to a rise in immigrants, as well as members of organized crime groups being absorbed by the CCP, the sources said.
As they could follow instructions from the CCP to destroy or paralyze Taiwan’s power plants, oil and water storage facilities, communication facilities and science parks, the military police should be dispatched to guard them, because they are better equipped to handle such attacks, they said.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
The Han Kuang military exercises last year included a simulated scenario in which the military police and the railway police worked together to secure Taipei Railway Station after the station master was taken hostage by fifth column members and railway tracks were damaged.
The Military Police Command has expanded its personnel quota to 11,000 after taking into account the infiltration of fifth column units and the potential damage they could do.
Meanwhile, military police training would be designed to bolster their ability to use firearms and defend infrastructure.
Public records show there are at least 5,000 fifth column individuals in Taiwan, Institute for National Defense and Security Research research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said when asked for comment.
“Attacks launched by the fifth column or lone wolves are potential threats to Taiwan. So, it is necessary to include armed protection in emergency response plans for key infrastructure,” Su said.
The nation’s key infrastructure is mainly protected by the Second Special Police Corps, Su said.
“The Executive Yuan has identified and classified more than 300 pieces of infrastructure into three security levels. While the Second Special Police [Corps] are tasked to handle threats, the military police would be contacted to offer immediate assistance if there are extenuating circumstances,” he said.
For power plants in coastal areas, the Second Special Police Corps, the Coast Guard Administration and the military police would jointly protect the facilities, Su said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to