Taipei: The Legislative Yuan has completed a preliminary review of amendments aimed at imposing stricter penalties on individuals who intentionally damage undersea telecommunications cables and other critical infrastructure such as water, gas, and power pipelines.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Economics Committee has passed draft revisions to the Electricity Act, Natural Gas Enterprise Act, and Water Supply Act. These revisions stipulate prison terms ranging from one to seven years and fines of up to NT$10 million (US$325,555) for those found guilty of intentionally damaging undersea facilities. For damage caused by negligence, the penalties would be a maximum of six months in prison, detention, or fines up to NT$2 million, aligning with the Telecommunications Management Act.
The amendments also allow for the confiscation of vessels or equipment used in such offenses, irrespective of ownership. Additionally, ships are mandated to keep their automatic identification systems (AIS) operational at all times.
These legislative changes form part of the “seven undersea cable laws” package, which was proposed by the Cabinet in September to bolster maritime security. The package also includes proposed amendments to the Telecommunications Management Act, Meteorological Act, Commercial Port Law, and Law of Ships.
During Thursday’s legislative session, lawmakers passed a resolution urging the Ministry of the Interior to release maps of undersea cables and pipelines publicly before the full package is enacted. This measure is intended to help ship operators avoid restricted zones, reduce legal disputes over intentional or negligent offenses, and support law enforcement and investigations.
The legislative initiative is a response to a series of incidents involving cable damage in waters surrounding Taiwan, including a notable case in February. In that incident, the Togolese-registered cargo ship Hong Tai 58, captained by a Chinese national, was involved in damaging a submarine cable between Taiwan and Penghu. The captain received a three-year prison sentence for the offense.