The Executive Yuan today plans to approve amendments to seven laws to protect undersea cables and other critical infrastructure, applying the same penalties for damaging water and natural gas pipelines as for damaging submarine cables.
The amendments also include provisions for confiscating vessels used in such crimes and require all ships to keep their automatic identification systems turned on or face penalties.
Of the seven laws, five address penalties and complementary measures concerning undersea cable sabotage, while two address vessel control, Minister Without Portfolio Lin Ming-hsin (林明昕) said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
The first five laws are the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法), Electricity Act (電業法), Natural Gas Enterprise Law (天然氣事業法), Tap Water Act (自來水法) and Meteorological Act (氣象法). The two covering vessel control are the Commercial Port Law (商港法) and the Shipping Act (船舶法).
While critical infrastructure is already protected by law, the amendments extend this protection to include water and natural gas pipelines, with penalties to be applied according to the Telecommunications Management Act, Lin said.
Under the act, those who endanger the normal functioning of a submarine cable by means including theft and destruction face a prison term of one to seven years and a fine of up to NT$10 million (US$332,292).
Those found guilty of intentionally endangering national security or social stability face a sentence of three to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to NT$50 million.
If their actions result in disaster, death or serious injury, the maximum penalty is life in prison and a fine of up to NT$100 million, while negligence is punishable by up to six months in prison, detention or a fine of up to NT$2 million.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
RSS