The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a draft act authorizing military personnel to use their weapons to defend a base against trespassers and imposing prison sentences for spying on restricted military sites with drones.
Defense officials proposed the law to bolster the security of military bases and sites after legal reviews found current regulations to be insufficient, the Ministry of National Defense told a news briefing.
Intrusion by drones into restricted space, trespassing by civilians into bases and assault on guards have occurred in the past, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Military News Agency
The proposed legislation suggests authorizing guards to use weapons and other implements to prevent unauthorized entry into military bases and intrusion into restricted airspace by uncrewed aerial vehicles, the ministry said.
Committing theft in crucial military facilities, causing damage to these facilities or endangering their security would result in a sentence of one to seven years in prison and a fine of up to NT$10 million (US$311,410), it said.
Carrying out these acts with an intent to impede or interfere with national security would result in a sentence of three to 10 years in prison and a fine of no more than NT$50 million, the ministry said.
If death occurs as a result of such acts, the penalty would be further increased to seven years to life in prison and a fine of up to NT$100 million, it said.
A penalty of five to 12 years in prison and a fine of up to NT$80 million is stipulated in cases where such acts led to serious injuries, the ministry said.
Jeopardizing the normal operation of core informational systems of military bases would lead to a sentence of one to seven years in prison in addition to a NT$10 million fine, it said.
Unauthorized surveying, recording or description of military facilities with the aid of drones is punishable by a sentence of up to three years in prison, the ministry said.
Compromising a military base’s security by surveying, recording or describing it from outside the restricted area would be punishable by a fine of NT$300,000 to NT$500,000.
The proposed law would apply to crucial military facilities, bases of military units and organizations, or any legally formed restricted area in which military exercises or training is being conducted, it said.
Attempts to intimidate or blackmail service members guarding a military base or other restricted area would be punishable by a sentence of no more than three years in prison commutable to a NT$300,000 fine, the ministry said.
Entering into restricted military areas would result in a NT$40,000 to NT$200,000 fine for each count of trespass, it added.
In related news, the Executive Yuan also approved amendments to the Domestic Violence Prevention Act (家庭暴力防治法) and Sports Industry Development Act (運動產業發展條例).
The changes to the law against domestic violence would require social media platforms and Internet service providers to remove or restrict access to sexual recordings of domestic abuse victims upon being notified by authorities.
Platforms and service providers that fail to remove or restrict access to such material after being notified to do so would be subjected to a repeatable fine of NT$60,000 to NT$600,000.
Proposed changes to the sports law would punish scalpers of sports events with a fine of 10 to 50 times the original ticket value, while large-volume scalping could result in a prison sentence of up to three years.
A fine of no more than NT$3 million could be added to the latter type of breach or used to commute the prison sentence.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about