Premier Jiang Yi-huah today called for heightened vigilance against drunk driving and reiterated that civil servants, military members and teachers must set an example for the public by refraining from driving under the influence of alcohol.
"Any civil servants, soldiers or teachers who violate this law will receive the severest punishment," he stated.
"The issue of drunk driving has aroused great public concern. Although thanks to the efforts of law enforcement there were 51 fewer deaths from drunk driving from January to May of this year than in the same period of 2012 (a decline of 28.98 percent), deaths and severe injuries continue to occur because of this crime.
"Drunk driving by public servants is still more intolerable. Every competent authority must direct its employees to obey these laws."
The premier made these remarks after a public security update by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI). He ordered the MOI, Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and local authorities to work together to continue to strengthen enforcement of laws to curb drunk driving. Stricter standards and penalties for this crime in the Criminal Code and road safety regulations have been in effect since June 13.
The premier also reminded law enforcement to use prudent judgment and not abuse their authority in order to avoid violating human rights while handling such cases.
"Apart from bans and penalization measures, there must be social and cultural changes undertaken by other countries which deserve study," he added, asking related agencies to continue deliberating how to better prevent drunk driving.
Meanwhile, Jiang said ensuring the students' safety during summer vacation and strengthening related crime prevention and inspection have always been points of emphasis for public security during this season. He directed the MOI, Ministry of Education (MOE), MOJ, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Department of Health and Council of Labor Affairs to cooperate in promoting youth protection projects, which are primarily implemented by local authorities. Jiang urged relevant departments and ministries to closely communicate with county and city governments to supervise the execution of these programs.
In response to the MOTC's report on strengthening measures safeguarding rail stations and trains from dangerous goods, Jiang said that although the April case in which explosive devises were planted on a High Speed Rail (HSR) train was promptly solved, competent authorities must continue bolstering the safety of mass transit.
The premier directed the MOTC to swiftly implement additional rail security measures and urge the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. and Taiwan Railways Administration to carry out security patrols of stations and trains and organize training and exercises to improve railway personnel's capabilities to stay alert and handle emergencies. He also asked the National Police Agency (NPA) to work closely with its subordinate Railway Police Bureau to shore up railway security and dispatch more law enforcement officers to railway stations as needed.
After hearing the Environmental Protection Administration's (EPA) report on the outcome of preventing illegally modified vehicles from impacting public order and environment tranquility, Premier Jiang commended environmental protection, law enforcement and motor vehicle agencies for their efforts in this regard. He instructed the EPA, MOTC and NPA to join hands to enforce the four improvement measures listed in the report—reinforcing joint inspection, setting up a reporting and examination mechanism, stepping up education and publication, and strengthening inspections of the peripheries and websites of vehicle modification stores. He also requested the MOE to proactively offer assistance by supervising various local governments' implementation of these measures.
Regarding the MOI's report on the strengthening of JCC functions, Premier Jiang expressed gratitude to Minister without Portfolio Luo Ying-shay for convening a task force meeting and putting forward several concrete reinforcement measures covering such aspects as organizational operation, division of counseling work as well as supervision and evaluation. He instructed the MOI, MOJ and MOE to finish various statutory amendments as scheduled and join forces with local governments in implementation to allow JCCs to fully perform their tasks.
"Sufficient staffing for JCCs is very important," noted the premier. "Considering that in 2011 alone a total of 14,453 juveniles nationwide needed counseling, in the future local governments' social affairs, education and law enforcement agencies will need to be well-manned to meet such demand."
Jiang instructed the NPA to review local governments' needs for counseling manpower by checking how they make use of their human resources to deal with such cases. Inspection results should be sent to local government heads for further handling and, if necessary, reported to the Executive Yuan, he said.