Legislators engaged in physical and verbal clashes during the legislature’s Diplomacy and National Defense Committee meeting yesterday as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators continued their criticism of Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊).
Ou was to make his first appearance at the legislature, where, according to the agenda, he was to unveil policy plans.
But DPP legislators blocked Ou from making his presentation, while criticizing him for once having permanent resident status in the US and for failings in handling the Diaoyutai (釣魚台) incident earlier this month.
PHOTO: CNA
The lawmakers have been up in arms since it was revealed that Ou had obtained US permanent resident status in 2005 when he was Taiwan’s ambassador to Guatemala. He only renounced the status one month before assuming his ministerial position on May 20. The matter has been used to question his loyalty to the nation.
Ou’s handling of the Diaoyutai incident, in which a Taiwanese fishing boat collided with a Japanese patrol vessel and sank in waters near the disputed islands, was also a focus of criticism. Ou berated the nation’s former representative to Japan, Koh Se-kai (許世楷), for his handling of the issue and asked him to report to the legislature, a request that Koh has rejected.
As DPP legislators continued to denounce Ou and blocked him from reaching the podium, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) made a motion to end the meeting, which was quickly passed as the KMT holds a majority in the committee.
DPP lawmakers then attempted to stop Ou from leaving the meeting.
“Ou, step down!” “You’re a runaway minister!” and “Get out and never come back!” DPP legislators shouted as they surrounded Ou.
KMT legislators eventually came to Ou’s rescue and escorted him out of the building with help from legislative police officers.
The DPP caucus later continued its condemnation of Ou at a press conference and asked him to apologize and step down.
“We hereby ask the KMT and Ou to apologize to the public and that Ou step down,” DPP legislative caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said.
“Unlike other Cabinet members, Ou did not brief us as soon as he took office. This was a humiliation to us as lawmakers,” Lai said. “In addition, the KMT helped him escape censure by taking advantage of its majority to cut short the legislative meeting. The KMT owes us an apology for this, too.”
Lai said that Ou had yet to provide clarifications on his green card situation. In addition, he avoided his responsibilities during the Diaoyutai incident and never responded to lawmakers’ requests for a briefing, as a minister is supposed to, Lai said.
“We were simply enforcing our right to ask a Cabinet member to do his job. Ou failed to fulfill that request. That is why we are unhappy,” Lai said.
KMT caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (林益世) later complained that the DPP used “double standards” by allowing Koh to shun legislative questioning, while creating difficulties for Ou.
“Koh is the one who ran away, not Ou,” Lin said, adding that the DPP should apologize to Ou and the nation.
KMT caucus secretary-general Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) said the DPP had obstructed procedures and should be reminded of the need to behave reasonably.
KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) said the DPP had used procedural matters to paralyze the proceedings of the meeting and to insult government officials. He said their behavior was in violation of Article 58 of the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Yuan (立法院議事規則).
Additional reporting by CNA
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft