Bureau outlines proposed changes to repression laws
By Fion Khan / Staff writer, with CNA
The government has begun drafting amendments aimed at deterring transnational repression, the National Security Bureau said in a report to the legislature yesterday.
The proposed amendments to the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) and related laws would introduce or increase penalties for those who engage in tailing, harassment, intimidation or violent attacks in Taiwan at the instruction, request or with the funding of foreign hostile forces, it said.
The Legislative Yuan’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee is scheduled to hear reports tomorrow from the Ministry of Justice, the Mainland Affairs Council, the Judicial Yuan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior and the security bureau.
Chess pieces are displayed in front of Taiwanese and Chinese flags in an arranged photograph taken on Jan. 25, 2022.
Photo: Reuters
Among other matters, the session is to discuss the bureau’s report on Chinese transnational repression and legal prevention mechanisms.
Cases involving transnational repression are primarily prosecuted under the Criminal Code for offenses such as assault and intimidation, as well as the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪防制條例) and the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法), the bureau said in the report.
The charges carry relatively light sentences, offering limited deterrent effect, while regulations lack appropriate tools to hold state-level and overseas directors accountable, it said.
They do not reflect the threat such actions pose to Taiwan’s democracy, public safety and freedom of speech, it said.
The US, the UK, Canada and Germany have all passed or are promoting legislation to establish clear legal definitions of transnational repression and foreign interference, the report said.
Some countries have classified acts carried out at the direction of foreign governments against citizens or foreign nationals as criminal offenses or introduced enhanced penalties, it said.
Such acts include online harassment, defamation, causing financial losses, stalking and threats of violence, it said.
In response to threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party’s transnational repression, Taiwan’s intelligence agencies and prosecutors have established a case coordination mechanism to coordinate responses to emergencies and swiftly prevent illegal activities, it said.
Measures include improving intelligence gathering and early warning capabilities, protecting potential victims, tracing the identities of Chinese instigators operating overseas, and identifying cross-border financial channels and criminal networks in Taiwan, the bureau said.
It pledged to continue to integrate intelligence resources to counter threats in real time to safeguard national sovereignty and human rights.
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