The activation of an emergency response system Friday night after the shootings of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) did not mean service personnel were unable to return to their hometowns to cast votes in Saturday's election, Deputy Minister of National Defense Lin Chong-pin (林中斌) said yesterday.
Lin spoke yesterday to the defense committee of the legislature, which he attended on behalf of Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明), who was receiving treatment for an eye disease at the Tri-Service General Hospital.
Rumors have been rife in the aftermath of the presidential election that the activation of the emergency response system was responsible for some 200,000 to 250,000 soldiers being unable to return home to vote.
Opposition legislators attacked Lin yesterday saying that the activation of the emergency response system was unnecessary given the lightness of the president and vice president's injuries, yet might have significantly influenced the election outcome.
Lin said that only 13,000 troops had been unable to vote, and that this was because they were on combat alert, a standard procedure on election days because of the threat from China.
Their status had nothing to do with the emergency response system, Lin said.
"These service members were unable to cast votes because of having to stay on duty to ensure a safe and steady environment for the presidential elections," Lin said.
"It had nothing to do with the activation of the emergency response system following the shootings of President Chen and Vice President Lu on Friday in Tainan," he said.
Lieutenant General Lei Kuang-tan (雷光旦), deputy chief of the general staff for operations, said at the meeting that these service members could have had a chance to cast votes but that because of a change in combat preparation rules last year, they were unable to execute their election rights during the presidential election.
In the past, service members could be granted a half-day's leave to cast their votes in an election, but these rules had been changed.
Tang's absence from the meeting sparked strong criticism from opposition lawmakers, who accused him of pretending to be sick to avoid the meeting.
Yesterday's meeting of the defense committee was about the situation in the Taiwan Strait and arms purchase plans after the presidential elections, on which Tang was invited to make a report.
But Tang failed to show up at the meeting because he has been admitted into the hospital for treatment of an eye disease.
Tang was accused by opposition lawmaker Chin Huei-chu (秦慧珠) of the People First Party of using eye diseases as a pretext for not attending the meeting.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS