MND DEFENDS INCREASE IN COUNTERINTELLIGENCE BUDGET
ROC Central News Agency
2006-09-01 23:43:21
Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Friday that an increase in the military intelligence budget for the coming year will mainly be used for counterintelligence operations which have nothing to do with politics.
The ministry made the remarks after opposition lawmakers threatened to cut off the entire military intelligence budget increased proposed by the MND for 2007. According to the MND-initiated military budget plan for 2007, intelligence-related spending marks a 15-fold year-on-year spike.
Opposition lawmakers claimed the military might use the increased intelligence budget to monitor opposition political figures' activities or wiretap their phone conversations.
MND spokesman Wu Chi-fang said opposition legislators' misgivings are "unfounded and meaningless, " stressing that the budget increases will mainly finance counterintelligence activities to prevent the enemy from obtaining secret information, such as careful classification and control of sensitive information and spreading disinformation.
As part of the military's efforts to maintain neutrality and distance itself from politics, Wu said, the military has set up a separate military security corps to be in charge of counterintelligence work.
In the past, the security corps was incorporated in the political warfare department. From now on, Wu said, the security corps will function independently of the political warfare department, which will focus on enhancing the armed forces' intangible combat capabilities, service, education and psychological warfare.
With maturity of Taiwan's democracy, Wu said it's simply unlikely for the military to monitor or wiretap opposition politicians' phone conversations or activities, which were rampant during Taiwan's infamous martial law era.
(By Sofia Wu)
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