Lawmakers yesterday weighed in on calls to amend the National Security Act (國家安全法) — an issue that has generated much public discussion since Su Chii-cherng (蘇啟誠), director-general of the Osaka branch of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, committed suicide last week.
Su was allegedly the victim of fake news disseminated by a number of Chinese agencies, including Xinhua news agency and the Guancha Syndicate, which earlier this month reported that the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) sent a shuttle bus to Kansai International Airport and evacuated “Chinese” stranded by Typhoon Jebi, including some Taiwanese.
Su said in his suicide note that he had been troubled by the “news,” which was proven false by the Japanese airport after Su’s death.
When asked yesterday whether the Ministry of the Interior was going to amend the act to combat fake news, Executive Yuan deputy spokesman Ting Yun-kung (丁允恭) said that Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) had tendered a motion to amend it.
The government believes that agendas behind fake news reports from overseas could pose national security risks and must not be overlooked, Ting said.
The ministry and the National Communications Commission are reviewing the act and other regulations, and assessing the need for an amendment to curb fake news, he said, adding that the government would reference laws passed by other democratic nations.
Yeh yesterday said that her draft amendment seeks to include the “fifth domain” (the Internet) within the scope of national security.
“The sovereignty of the Republic of China covers the cyberspace delineated by its Internet infrastructure as well as its territories,” the amendment reads.
In a globalized and information-based era, the nation is under threat by state-sponsored and private hackers, who infiltrate and sabotage the nation’s information infrastructure, Yeh said.
Asked whether the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would propose legislation to curb fake news, KMT caucus secretary-general William Tseng (曾銘宗) said it would not, as such a move could limit press freedom and freedom of speech, which Taiwan cherishes.
Most nations do not have an agency that governs the distribution of news, but place the matter in the hands of self-regulating organizations, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
RSS