The Ministry of Justice has drafted an amendment to the Counter-Terrorism Financing Act (資恐防制法) that would list threats and aggressive behavior toward critical national infrastructure, major facilities or core systems as acts of terrorism.
The ministry yesterday said the current law is inapplicable to certain proliferation financing cases in Taiwan.
It made major amendments to the act, expanding it from 15 articles to 24 articles, the ministry said.
Photo courtesy of Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan
A definition for terrorism financing and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction was added to the drafted amendment, it said.
Terrorism financing is defined as providing property, property interests or financial services to people who engage in terrorist activities.
Terrorist activities are defined as intent to cause loss of life, severe injuries, or significant economic or property damage, and threatening the public, or coercing government agencies, foreign government agencies or intergovernmental organizations.
The ministry said threats and aggressive behavior toward critical national infrastructure, major facilities or core systems might cause great damage, and affect national and social security.
Therefore, it has included threats to the public and coercion to government agencies, foreign government agencies or intergovernmental organizations into the list of terrorists activities, it said.
It means that contravening the Electricity Act (電業法), Natural Gas Enterprise Act (天然氣事業法), Petroleum Administration Act (石油管理法), Water Supply Act (自來水法), Railway Act (鐵路法) and Mass Rapid Transit Act (大眾捷運法) might be treated as terrorist activities, the ministry said.
According to the drafted amendment, perpetrators who directly or indirectly collect or provide property or property interests for an individual, a legal person or a group engaged in terrorist activities could face imprisonment of six months to five years and a fine of no more than NT$5 million (US$155,904).
In addition, as petroleum smuggling activities from Taiwan to North Korea have been detected several times in the past few years, the drafted amendment also imposes punishment on perpetrators who conceal trading information, turn off their vessel’s automatic identification system without reason, or damage, alter or hide their vessel name.
Perpetrators could face up to three years of imprisonment or detention or a penalty of no more than NT$600,000, according to the draft amendment.
Taiwanese who contravene this article outside of the nation’s territory could also face punishment, no matter whether the country where the crime takes place has such laws, the draft said.
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