Lawmakers raise issue over security of vice president at airport

Taipei, Nov. 27 (CNA) Lawmakers on Wednesday highlighted a loophole in security deployments for Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) after employees at a duty-free store surprised Hsiao with an unexpected group photo at the Taoyuan International Airport a day earlier.

Hsiao was at the airport with CPBL Commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) to welcome back members of the national baseball team, who were returning from Japan after winning the WBSC Premier 12 championship.

After Hsiao and Tsai took a photo with the team, the owner and employees of the duty-free store, dressed in yellow uniforms, pushed their way to the front right next to Hsiao and asked the vice president to take a group photo with them as a banner showing the name of the store was placed before the group.

At a legislative hearing, ruling Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Loh Meei-ling (羅美玲) asked National Security Bureau (NSB) officials to explain the "lapse of security deployments" at the airport.

Lee Ching-jan (李慶然), deputy head of NSB's Special Service Command Center, said the incident occurred at arrivals in a restricted area, where the situation and work necessary to ensure security was "relatively simple."

The Sports Administration, the Aviation Police Bureau, and other relevant agencies had surveyed the site in advance to ensure its safety, Lee added.

Loh, however, asked the bureau to solemnly review its work, noting that the store owner and employees suddenly approached Hsiao for the photo. This highlighted a flaw in security work that could have posed a grave danger to the vice president.

Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) asked Lee who authorized the store personnel to enter the restricted area to take a photo with Hsiao, to which Lee replied that it was the Sports Administration and Vice Presidential Office.

Hsu asked why special agents at the scene had not attempted to maintain order when the store personnel made a run for the spotlight.

Lee replied that the bureau will review its "execution skills" to ensure security.