The first policy negotiations between the Executive Yuan and the Legislative Yuan on Monday night resulted in a decision to abolish the Red Cross Society Act of the Republic of China (中華民國紅十字會法), the Executive Yuan said.
The New Power Party (NPP) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in February proposed abolishing the act, saying that the society had special legal status and was not subject to the Civil Associations Act (人民團體法) and the Charity Donations Act (公益勸募條例), adding that the abolishment of the act would advance the implementation of “transitional justice.”
While the NPP on May 3 moved to have the abolishment measure sent directly to a second reading, bypassing all discussion in committees, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) objected, resulting in yesterday’s cross-caucus negotiation.
Photo: Yang Mien-chieh, Taipei Times
However, the negotiations failed to reach a consensus, with the legislature to vote on the annulment of the act in early July at the latest, according to legislative procedures.
In response to protests from the Red Cross Society since the annulment was first proposed, Executive Yuan spokesperson Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said the society misunderstood the decision.
“The society’s establishment has its historical background and necessity, and we do not doubt it has contributed positively to the nation and to the public, but there also exist certain flaws in how the society functions, including the use of its charity funds and the election of its chairperson,” Tung said.
Negotiations saw the Executive Yuan’s support for the legislature’s motion to abolish the act so the society becomes more transparent and healthy in its organization, thus being of greater benefit to the public, Tung said.
Once the abolishment measure is passed, the central government would no longer have to assign an official to sit on the society’s board, Tung said, adding that the organization would be regulated in accordance with the Civil Associations Act.
As for the groups’s fundraising drives, Tung said that if the abolishment motion is ratified, the society’s fundraising would have to follow regulations according to the Charity Donations Act.
Society chairperson Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) said that the perceived flaws in how the group functions should have been rectified via investigation or legal action rather than by abolishing the act, adding that the decision has impinged on the reputation of a humanitarian organization.
Additional reporting by Yang Mien-chieh
The subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in Kumamoto, Japan, turned a profit in the first quarter of this year, marking the first time the first fab of the unit has become profitable since mass production started at the end of 2024. According to the contract chipmaker’s financial statement released on Friday, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc (JASM), a joint venture running the fab in Kumamoto, posted NT$951 million (US$30.19 million) in profit in the January-to-March period, compared with a loss of NT$1.39 billion in the previous quarter, and a loss of NT$3.25 billion in the first quarter of
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
RESOLUTE BACKING: Two Republican senators are planning to introduce legislation that would impose immediate sanctions on China if it attempts to invade Taiwan US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday reaffirmed US congressional support for Taiwan, saying the US and “all freedom-loving people” have a stake in preventing China from seizing Taiwan by force. Johnson made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Sunday on US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last week. In an interview that aired on Friday on Fox News, just as Trump wrapped up a high-stakes visit to China, he said he has yet to green-light a new US$14 billion arms package to Taiwan and that it “depends on China.” “It’s a very good
US President Donald Trump yesterday said he would speak to President William Lai (賴清德) as his administration considers whether to move ahead with a US$14 billion weapons sale to Taiwan — a potential arms deal that has drawn criticism from China. “Well, I’ll speak to him. I speak to everybody,” Trump told reporters yesterday when asked if he had any plans to call his counterpart, although he did not offer a time frame for when such a conversation could take place. Trump previously said he would speak to the person “that’s running Taiwan,” without specifying who he meant. “We have that situation very
RSS