Section 2: Interpretation

2. Interpretation (1) In this Act— “agent of a foreign State” includes a person who is or has been employed, or is reasonably suspected of being or having been employed, by a foreign State, either directly or indirectly, for the purpose of committing an act, within or outside Mauritius, likely to prejudice the safety or interests of Mauritius, or who has, or is reasonably suspected of having, within or outside Mauritius, committed or attempted to commit such an act in the interests of a foreign State; “armed force” means any body, contingent or detachment of the armed forces of Mauritius or such force of another State as may be prescribed by the Minister; “code word” means an official, secret or classified code, code word, password, sign or cipher, including a group of letters of figures or both constituting part of a code; “disaffected person” includes a person carrying on a subversive activity; “Minister” means the Minister to whom responsibility for the subject of defence and internal security is assigned; O3 – 1 [Issue 1] “munitions” means arms, ammunition, implements or stores of the armed forces or the Police Force, or any article capable of being converted into any of those arms, ammunition, implements or stores or used in their production; “office under the Government” means any office or employment in or under the Government or in or under any department or branch of the Government, and any office or employment in, on or under any board, commission, corporation or other body that is an agent, or emanation of the Government, whether the office or employment is within or outside Mauritius; “official document” includes a passport, an armed force, police or official pass, permit, certificate, licence or other document of a similar character whether or not it has been completed or issued for use; “official seal” includes any seal, die, stamp of or belonging to, or used, made or provided by any Government Department, diplomatic authority or armed force, or any article of a similar character; “plan” includes any sketch, model, design or pattern, and any specimen, reproduction or photograph of the document; “prohibited place” means a place— (a) belonging to or occupied or used by, or on behalf of Government, which is used for or in connection with the maintenance of public security, including arsenals, establishments or stations of the armed forces or the Police Force, factories, dockyards, mines, minefields, camps, ships, aircraft, telegraph, telephone, wireless or signal stations of offices, and places used for the purpose of building, repairing, making or storing any munitions or any plans, or for the purpose of obtaining any metals, oil or minerals for use in time of war or public emergency; (b) not belonging to Government, where any munitions or any plans are being made, repaired, received or stored under contract with, or with any person acting on behalf of, Government; (c) prescribed by the Minister, on the ground that information relating to the place, damage to it or interference with it is likely to prejudice the safety and interests of Mauritius; “telegram” means any communication or visual image transmitted or intended for transmission by telegraph or wireless apparatus; “uniform” includes the headgear, badge, brassard, clothing equipment and every article forming part of the uniform of the Police Force or of any armed force or of any other official uniform or of any uniform likely to be mistaken for any of those uniforms. g to the place, damage to it or interference with it is likely to prejudice the safety and interests of Mauritius; “telegram” means any communication or visual image transmitted or intended for transmission by telegraph or wireless apparatus; “uniform” includes the headgear, badge, brassard, clothing equipment and every article forming part of the uniform of the Police Force or of any armed force or of any other official uniform or of any uniform likely to be mistaken for any of those uniforms. (2) In this Act— (a) expressions referring to obtaining, receiving, collecting, retaining, recording, making use of, publishing or communicating a code [Issue 1] O3 – 2 word, plan, article, document or information include any obtaining, receiving, retaining, recording, making use of, publishing or communicating whether in whole or in part and whether the code word, plan, article, document or information itself or only its substance, effect or description is obtained, received, collected, retained, recorded, made use of, published or communicated; (b) expressions referring to obtaining or retaining a code word, plan, article, document or information include copying or causing to be copied the whole or any part of any code word, plan, article, document or information; and (c) expressions referring to the communication of a code word, plan, article, document or information include the transfer or transmission of the code word, plan, article, document or information.