TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng emphasized on Monday (Nov. 20) that while the ministry will not impede general aviation enthusiasts from taking photographs, actions such as climbing walls to photograph military installations will be deemed reconnaissance activities.
This clarification came as Chiu and other officials responded to questions at the Legislative Yuan's Foreign and National Defense Committee, which was examining the draft "Military Base Security Maintenance Regulations" bill.
The draft bill, specifically section 22, stipulates that unauthorized measurement, filming, photography, depiction, description, or any other reconnaissance activities targeting military camp areas may result in fines ranging from NT＄30,000 to NT＄150,000, especially if they compromise national security.
Committee Chair Ho Chih-wei raised concerns about unintentional filming of military areas by dash cameras or residents of high-rise buildings adjacent to bases. Deputy Chief of Combat Planning Chen Wen-Hsing assured that the bill primarily targets harmful reconnaissance activities, with general photography remaining unaffected.
Minister Chiu acknowledged the difficulty in defining reconnaissance but noted that unauthorized photography in restricted areas is categorized as such.
Kuomintang legislator Chen I-hsin pointed out potential conflicts between the proposed bill and existing "Vital Area Regulations." He proposed integrating military base security maintenance into existing regulations as a specific chapter to avoid such conflicts.