Reports that a bus driver taking people to begin their mandatory military service showed a pro-Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) video demonstrates a lack of national security awareness, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) yesterday said that on Sept. 23, a bus carrying people from Taichung to an army base to start their mandatory military service allegedly played the video for the first 30 minutes of the trip, which included a scene featuring PLA officers saying they were “fighting for communism.”
The driver said he had set YouTube to autoplay and believes the algorithm selected the films due to his preferences, which included comedies, war movies and action films, including those made in China, Cho said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Amendments to the Cyber Security Management Act (資通安全管理法) ban the use of Chinese-made products, but banning specific videos would be considered legal overreach, Shen said, asking whether the Executive Yuan had solutions to prevent similar incidents.
Cho said that the incident underscored a significant lack of national security awareness.
Although a legal solution might not be possible, the Executive Yuan hopes the public follows the spirit of the law regarding Chinese-made products, including films, he said.
The government is considering including wording in contracts with transportation companies that state that playing certain Chinese videos would contravene the spirit of the law, he added.
Taichung Civil Affairs Bureau Director-General Wu Shih-wei (吳世瑋) said the bus company would be fined for breaching its contract, which states that buses carrying people to military bases to start their mandatory service can only broadcast traffic safety videos.
As the borough office’s military service section director-general failed to stop the broadcast, they face a conduct review, Wu said.
The borough office official said that he was unaware that the videos being played contained pro-PLA content, because although he was seated next to the driver, the driver’s screen had no sound.
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