The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday accused the government of conducting “surveillance of the opposition” after the installation of CCTV cameras in front of its office in the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
KMT Legislator Alex Fai (費鴻泰) told a conference outside the legislative chamber that the cameras — which have facial recognition and sound recording capabilities — were installed without the caucus’ assent.
The lack of such devices outside the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus office just down the corridor suggests the decision was politically motivated, Fai said, asking: “When did Taiwan become a police state?”
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
KMT caucus secretary-general Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文) said that the cameras that were installed in 2014 were not so out-of-date that replacement was necessary.
Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) should explain the matter, she said.
KMT lawmakers also lodged a protest on the legislative floor.
You asked Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Jih-jia (林志嘉) to halt installations until the matter is looked into and a report is delivered within 10 days.
Cameras were installed in 2012 following a request by the KMT caucus, which at the time was concerned about possible break-ins at office, Lin said.
As with the originals, the replacement cameras can only record video, and have no sound recording or facial recognition capabilities, he said.
The KMT caucus is free to sign a statement that it does not wish the installation to continue, he said.
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Ann Kao (高虹安) said that no one would oppose the installations if they were for security purposes, but there should be more communication between the two sides prior to any such work.
There should also be strict regulations on how footage from the cameras is allowed to be used, Kao said.
Meanwhile, the DPP on Facebook yesterday said that the KMT caucus’ actions were out of line with the Occupational Hazard Insurance and Protection Act (勞工職業災害保險及保護法) and that its accusations about being surveilled were nonsense.
The KMT caucus said that the DPP, as the ruling party and having a legislative majority, should not shy from answering legitimate questions on possible abuse of surveillance footage.
It can do better than smearing the opposition and shifting the focus, the caucus said.
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) yesterday apologized after the suicide of a civil servant earlier this month and announced that a supervisor accused of workplace bullying would be demoted. On Nov. 4, a 39-year-old information analyst at the Workforce Development Agency’s (WDA) northern branch, which covers greater Taipei and Keelung, as well as Yilan, Lienchiang and Kinmen counties, was found dead in their office. WDA northern branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容), who has been accused of involvement in workplace bullying, would be demoted to a nonsupervisory position, Ho told a news conference in Taipei. WDA Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) said he would
RSS