The Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee is to review a proposed amendment to the National Security Act (國家安全法) on Thursday, a source said on Sunday.
Key points of the amendment include increasing penalties for working with hostile foreign organizations, expanding the scope of protected confidential information and establishing an evaluation mechanism and restriction list for information security products.
The goal is to complete the initial review of the amendment during this legislative session, the source said.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
Following President William Lai’s (賴清德) instructions to propose strategies to respond to a recent rise in Chinese espionage activities, several Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers have submitted proposals for legislative amendments, with nine different versions of amendments to the act filed over the past few days.
Among them, a proposal from DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) calls for expanding the definition of protected confidential information from covering only “official matters” to also include areas “related to national security or public interest.”
The proposal also calls for the establishment of a regular evaluation mechanism for cybersecurity products, and the publication of a list of restricted products.
If passed, the sale of mobile apps included on the restricted list would be punishable by fines ranging from NT$3 million to NT$30 million (US$92,407 to US$924,072).
DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) proposed that those found to be working with hostile foreign organizations be subject to a maximum prison sentence of more than seven years and fines up to NT$100 million.
Wang’s proposal also stipulates that those found to have leaked or handed over confidential official documents resulting in harm to national security interests would face five to 12 years imprisonment.
Active military personnel and civil servants who exploit their positions to assist hostile foreign forces would see their sentence increased by 50 percent.
DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) separately proposed that military personnel, public sector employees and workers at state-owned enterprises convicted of national security-related crimes and sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment have their pensions suspended even before the verdict becomes final.
DPP caucus whip Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said in an interview on Sunday that other legislation beyond the National Security Act is also under review and could be amended.
Given the seriousness of the rise in Chinese espionage activities, the DPP caucus is considering every legislative session to be a “national security session,” she said.
Any bills not being blocked by opposition parties would be advanced as quickly as possible, she added.
There are a large number of proposed amendments to the National Security Act, so the DPP hopes to organize and refine the bills’ content through the question-and-answer process and by seeking input from administrative agencies, she said.
Internal Administration Committee convener Chang Hung-lu (張宏陸) said that some proposals still need to be consolidated and reviewed.
Although opposition parties have called for extending the legislative session to the end of July, there should be sufficient time within this session to pass an amendment to the National Security Act, he said.
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