President Chen Shui-bian (
"Although the president did not tell me a specific date when the final decision will be made, my impression is that he is very determined to do it and that he cannot and will not delay the process or cancel the plan," the source said.
Chen has said that he would like to see the National Security Council come up with a report on the political and legal repercussions of the plan by the end of the month.
Sanlih Entertainment Television claimed yesterday that the final announcement would be made on March 14, the first anniversary of China's "Anti-Secession" Law.
The TV station said the date had been selected on Feb. 20 when Chen met Presidential Office Secretary-General Mark Chen (
Chen Chin-jun later dismissed the TV station's report, saying that the March 14 date was his own personal speculation.
Other sources have speculated that the announcement would be made on Feb. 28, the 59th anniversary of the 228 Incident, in which tens of thousands of Taiwanese were killed by rampaging Nationalist troops.
The Presidential Office source said Chen Shui-bian had been under tremendous pressure since announcing on Lunar New Year's Day that the time was ripe to seriously consider abolishing the unification council and guidelines.
The source said he thought the president should insist on doing whatever he feels needs to be done.
"If he flinches, the consequences would be so severe that it would hurt not only him but also the party and the country," the source said.
The administration does not expect the US government to agree to everything we say or do, but it can make every effort to make them understand, the source said.
"It is impossible for two countries, including the US and its allies such as Canada or the UK, to see eye to eye on everything," the source said. "It is useless to beat around the bush with them. It is very easy for them to look down upon us if we are not sure about what we want to do and don't speak up for ourselves."
In other developments, China yesterday issued another volley of rhetoric against Chen Shui-bian, branding his plan to kill off the unification council as a "dangerous provocation."
A signed commentary by China's state-run Xinhua news agency said the president's move was aimed at diverting attention from a listless domestic economy and consolidating power.
"Taiwan's independence forces declared some propositions, they are all dangerous signals," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (
"To maintain stability across the Taiwan Strait is in the interests of China and other countries, so we hope relevant countries are on alert to the wrong actions and dangerous activities by Taiwan forces," Liu said.
also see stories:
KMT proposes censuring Chen over abolition plan
The gambit behind the NUC's removal
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique