On the opening day of the National Assembly yesterday, three assembly members from the Democratic Action Alliance (DAA), led by Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), resigned from their posts in protest against what they said was the "ridiculous" procedure leading to the National Assembly's formation and the body having little legitimacy.
Chang, Wang Ching-feng (
The National Assembly will not be short three members, however, as Chang said the three vacant posts will be filled by Sui Tu-ching (隋杜卿), Hsieh Ying-hua (謝瀛華) and Kuo Hung Chin-fung (郭洪金鳳), who will continue protesting while at the same time "monitoring" the meeting for the public.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
The National Assembly, elected on May 14, is convening for the sole purpose of approving or disapproving the package put forward by the Legislative Yuan.
It is expected to pass the package as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) together have more than 80 percent of the 300 seats, and both support the amendments.
Chang claimed that only 19 percent of the public supports the amendment package, while more than three-quarters refuse to endorse it.
This, plus the record low turnout for the May 14 elections, is a clear indication that the National Assembly is lacking legitimacy, he stressed.
Delegates to the National Assembly reported for duty yesterday at the Chungshan Hall on Yanmingshan, suburban Taipei, for their first day of work, with all 296 delegates being sworn in at 11am.
The swearing-in ceremony was presided over by Senior Presidential Adviser Yeh Chu-lan (
Chanting "oppose voting for the package, rewrite the constitution, rectify the national title and save Taiwan," the Taiwan Solidarity Union's (TSU) 21 assembly delegates were the first to collectively register.
Despite the DPP's and KMT's request for a second round of voting if any of their assembly members fail to toe the party line, TSU assembly members and the assembly's acting secretary-general Chien Lin Hui-chien (
She, however, agreed that the assembly sitting should conclude as soon as possible.
The meeting must not exceed one month, and it is scheduled to last for two weeks.
The People First Party's (PFP) 18 delegates reiterated their resolve to veto constitutional amendments.
Yeh, a member of the steering committee, said that she will respect the final decision of the steering committee for the duration of the plenary session although she hopes it would last as short as possible -- preferably three days.
"If we can finish the job in five days, we don't want to take seven, and if we can do it in one week, we don't want it to take two," she said.
KMT Spokeswoman Cheng Li-wen (
Chen Chin-jang (
In a bid to ensure its assembly members to cast affirmative ballots, Chen said that KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and Secretary-General Lin Feng-cheng (林豐正) would come to personally supervise the balloting if necessary.
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
MATAIAN RIVER: Rescue operations were ongoing, with officials urging residents to move to higher floors where possible as teams focus first on those at ground level Floodwaters from the overflowing Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake swept into Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復) yesterday afternoon, leaving hundreds of people trapped and three missing as of press time last night, the Hualien County Fire Bureau said. The waters surged into downtown Guangfu after the riverbank burst at about 2:50pm, carrying mud and debris and submerging streets to rooftop level in some areas. Residents were seen climbing onto vehicles and rooftops to await rescue as thick, silt-laden water inundated the town. The surge destroyed the Mataian Bridge (馬太鞍溪橋) and flooded the Guangfu Railway Station. Rescue operations were launched with support from fire departments
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hualien and Taitung counties declared today a typhoon day, while schools and offices in parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties are also to close Typhoon Ragasa was forecast to hit its peak strength and come closest to Taiwan from yesterday afternoon through today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Taiwan proper could be out of the typhoon’s radius by midday and the sea warning might be lifted tonight, it added. CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said that Ragasa’s radius had reached the Hengchun Peninsula by 11am yesterday and was expected to hit Taitung County and Kaohsiung by yesterday evening. Ragasa was forecast to move to Taiwan’s southern offshore areas last night and to its southwestern offshore areas early today, she added. As of 8pm last night,
RSS