The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) yesterday said it has seized NT$11.5 billion (US$354.6 million) in illegal remittances, as it warned that foreign actors are using remote funding, Internet betting and cognitive warfare to influence next year’s presidential and legislative elections.
Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥) told a meeting of the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statues Committee that the ministry had conducted joint operations with the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office from July 3 to July 12 and from Sept. 20 to Sept. 26, targeting underworld banking operators to cut off cash flows funding illicit activities within the nation’s borders.
The ministry detailed how offshore funding is being used, including making donations to candidates via Taiwanese businesspeople, contributing to temple charity events, using dummy accounts to “like” specific candidates’ posts and funneling funds to candidates through unregistered banks or cryptocurrency.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
The MJIB is also to step up efforts to monitor Chinese coming to Taiwan on the pretext of “social interaction,” but who might be involved in attempts to influence the Jan. 13 elections or to conduct illegal activities, Tsai said.
When appropriate or necessary, it would launch investigations against individuals to deter foreign actors from using offshore funding to influence Taiwan’s political and financial activities, he added.
Separately, National Security Bureau (NSB) Deputy Director-General Hsu Hsi-hsiang (徐錫祥) yesterday said that the bureau is prepared to combat the use of deepfake technology by foreign actors to influence the elections.
The NSB has initiated a special project that incorporates other national security agencies to help affected ministries or agencies in issuing news releases to clarify the government’s stance and policies, Hsu said.
In addition, it is to train about 220 people to safeguard the presidential and vice presidential candidates, it said.
The teams would be assigned to the candidates once the registration process officially concludes on Nov. 24.
The NSB said it has included in its budget 220 bulletproof vests this year, along with 12 custom-made bulletproof vests and briefcases for the candidates and their running mates.
On Wednesday, the Central Election Commission (CEC) gave a demonstration of operations on the day of the elections, emphasizing the importance of polling station workers being able to handle emergencies.
The demonstration in Tainan covered the process for verifying a voter’s identity and casting ballots, as well as vote counting and how to respond in certain scenarios, such as a fire or the discovery of a suspicious package.
The ability of polling station workers to deal with unexpected situations is particularly important given the increasing competitiveness of election campaigns, CEC Chairperson Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) told city and county officials attending the demonstration.
The spread of false information and attacks from hostile foreign forces also mean that polling station workers need to strictly adhere to laws and regulations to avoid potential disputes, Lee said.
Local police also took part in Wednesday’s demonstration showing how to handle a range of situations, including individuals breaking the law by taking photographs or video recording voters within 30m of a polling station or leaving threatening notes in the station.
Additional reporting by CNA
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
RSS