Photographing military jets not illegal: Defense minister

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) Photographing military aircraft taking off and landing is not illegal unless it involves filming sensitive areas inside military installations, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said Wednesday.

"It is not illegal for fans of the military to take photos of military aircraft taking off and landing," Koo told lawmakers at Taiwan's Legislative Yuan.

But if people deliberately take photographs of sensitive areas inside military bases, that would be intelligence-gathering behavior affecting the security of the base and would violate the Military Installation Safety Protection Act, he said.

Koo made the comments at a session of the Legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee following online speculation that individuals seen photographing fighter jets near Hsinchu Air Base were collecting intelligence for China.

The Hsinchu City Police Bureau investigated the cases and found no illegal behavior.

During the hearing, lawmaker Lin Chu-yin (林楚茵) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) asked how the military intends to safeguard the confidentiality of its facilities and how the boundaries around bases and military equipment are defined.

"Is there in fact a gap in knowledge of the law among ordinary people?" Lin asked.

She cited recent incidents in New Taipei's Tamsui District and Hsinchu City near Hsinchu Air Base where prosecutors did not pursue charges since the suspected illegal behavior occurred in unrestricted areas.

The DPP lawmaker noted that no air bases have been designated as "vital areas" -- an official term used by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) to refer to important tactical locations -- meaning current laws do not prohibit filming near them.

In response, Koo said only 22 locations are currently designated as "vital areas," a number he acknowledged as being "obviously insufficient."

He said the newly passed Military Installation Safety Protection Act will serve as the legal basis for managing sensitive areas.

The act, which passed Taiwan's legislature in late 2023, cannot yet come into effect because the Executive Yuan indicated that three subordinate regulations must still be issued before the act takes effect, Koo said.

The act is expected to come into effect on Aug. 1, 2025.

Shen Shih-wei (沈世偉), head of the MND's legal affairs department, said designating "vital zones" imposes restrictions on civilian life, which is why the ministry promoted new legislation.

Shen said notices and signs will be placed at military and joint-use airfields, and penalties will apply if people violate posted bans or engage in reconnaissance-like activity from outside a base in a manner that affects its security.