-
Unauthorized photography around military bases prohibited
Taiwan’s Minister of National Defense, Chiu Kuo-cheng, stated that the Ministry will not interfere with general aviation enthusiasts taking photographs, but any behavior involving scaling walls to capture military installations will be considered reconnaissance activities. This announcement was made during a review of the draft "Military Base Security Maintenance Regulations" bill at the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign and National Defense Committee. According to the draft bill, unauthorized reconnaissance activities directed at military camp areas, such as measurement, filming, photography, depiction, or description, can result in fines ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 if they compromise national security. The committee discussed potential issues related to dash cameras unintentionally filming the area or residents of high-rise buildings next to a base. Deputy Chief of Combat Planning, Chen Wen-Hsing, clarified that the draft bill mainly targets harmful reconnaissance activities, while general photography activities remain unaffected. Minister Chiu emphasized that unauthorized photography in restricted areas is considered reconnaissance. Kuomintang legislator Chen I-hsin raised concerns about possible conflicts between existing "Vital Area Regulations" and the proposed new law, suggesting the incorporation of maintaining military base security into existing regulations as a specific chapter.2023/11/20 19:09