Information she requested from the Ministry of National Defense is not confidential, and people have the right to know, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Lin Yi-chun (林憶君) said yesterday in response to questions that she was collecting sensitive data on the operations of critical infrastructure.
Lin on Wednesday invited Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and other officials to a meeting with the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, of which Lin is convener, to report on the countermeasures against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s “gray zone” warfare tactics and “anaconda” strategy in terms of key industries, critical infrastructure, energy independence and food security.
An official who requested anonymity told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) that the legislature mischaracterized the policy to develop a “resilient Taiwan” as cultivating a militia, while systematically collecting relevant data despite explanations from the executive branch.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
“The handling of such data might be beyond the legislative power of oversight,” they added.
Lin yesterday said the administration of President William Lai (賴清德) should be open and transparent with information in its collaboration with civic groups on defense resilience.
The legislature oversees the executive branch to ensure people’s right to know, she said, adding that the official who accused her of intelligence gathering did not even dare to reveal their name.
Lin also said she would have convened a confidential meeting if the data were sensitive.
TPP caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) condemned the official for anonymously defaming Lin and opposition parties.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus secretary-general Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) yesterday before a DPP caucus meeting told reporters that concerns were raised about Chinese agents who are tasked with collecting intelligence on national security and defense from the executive branch.
The proceedings added up to a “plot” to undermine Taiwan’s whole-of-society defense security, as Lin scheduled the meeting following the draft amendments to the Civil Defense Act (民防法) that had been proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), she said.
Therefore, the DPP caucus yesterday took pre-emptive action by motioning a bill to enhance defense of national security, Hsu said, adding she hoped the bill would soon be slated for review.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
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BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
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