The Executive Yuan on Thursday unveiled draft amendments to enable coast guard personnel to use weapons to defend themselves or others without firing warning shots.
The proposed amendments to the Act on the Use of Weapons and Requisite Instruments by the Coast Guard Authority (海岸巡防機關器械使用條例) are a major overhaul of the law, making 19 changes to its 17 articles, the Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) said.
The law, which has not been changed since its promulgation in 2003, contains outdated concepts regarding the use of force, it said.
Photo: Liu Yu-ching, Taipei Times
The bill would increase the flexibility of judgement of coast guard personnel by allowing them to use improvised instruments or methods in the discharge of their duties if issued weapons cannot be used effectively, the council said.
The amendments define the circumstances in which lethal force can be used without first firing warning shots so that coast guard personnel would be secure in their right to use force to defend themselves or others, it said.
An investigative unit would be created within the coast guard to conduct post-incident reviews after a shooting or other use of weapons to ensure that the application of force was justified, the council said.
Additionally, victims of improper use of force by the coast guard would be able to make a claim under the State Compensation Act (國家賠償法), moving civil liability from individual coast guard personnel to the government, it said.
The proposed amendments must be passed by the legislature before they take effect.
Separately, the Executive Yuan approved a draft amendment to the Marine Pollution Control Act (海洋污染防治法) to raise fines significantly for certain types of violations, if passed by the legislature.
The draft amendment proposed by the OAC would increase fines from between NT$300,000 and NT$1.5 million (US$9,851 and US$49,255) to between NT$1 million and NT$100 million for those illegally engaged in oil conveyance, marine construction projects, marine dumping or other activities that cause marine pollution.
The revisions also propose to increase fines for companies that receive government approval to engage in such activities, but fail to assist with an emergency pollution incident, from between NT$100,000 and NT$500,000 to between NT$500,000 and NT$50 million.
Additionally, the revisions would increase the maximum fine to NT$30 million from NT$1.5 million for those who contravene marine disposal procedures or licensing regulations, or who dump in marine zones other than those designated by the central government.
The proposed amendments would also place fines ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$30 million on those who use marine vessels to dump wastewater, waste, oil and other substances in the ocean.
The draft states that licensed marine dumpers, oil tanker transport services and importers of specified substances designated by the law, as well as operators of marine projects and marine facilities of a certain scale, would be charged marine pollution prevention and control fees that would go toward an ocean pollution prevention and control fund.
The draft also includes a clause for whistle-blowers to encourage the reporting of illegal activities, granting cash awards to thos who provide information that leads to a successful enforcement action.
The proposed amendments are to be sent to the Legislative Yuan for review, Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
RSS