Lawmakers yesterday strongly protested a possible move by the Executive Yuan to reject a bill that lifts a ban on the so-called "small three links."
The Offshore Islands Development Act, passed by the legislature on Tuesday, allows Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu to open direct trade, transport and communications links with China.
The bill stipulates that the government can establish the links on a trial basis before the rest of Taiwan is fully opened up.
However, Premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) said on Thursday that the lifting of the ban may threaten Taiwan's security, and that the Cabinet needs to discuss whether the bill should be returned to the Legislative Yuan for a second review.
Siew's remarks immediately triggered strong reaction from legislators, especially those elected from Kinmen and Matsu who have worked for years to have the bill passed.
Residents of outlying islands have long awaited the passing of the bill, hoping the links will boost their local economy.
"The government should not turn a blind eye to [the populations of the outlying islands]," said KMT legislator Chao Erh-chung (
Chao added that all three of the leading presidential candidates had promised to remove the ban on the three links -- communication, transportation and shipping.
KMT candidate Lien Chan (
"This promise should not be affected just because they were defeated in the presidential race," Chao said.
New Party legislator Lee Chu-feng (
"The soldiers in Kinmen dare not open fire. They have to talk nicely to the Chinese fishermen [who come into Taiwan's waters] to ask them to go back," Lee said.
"As the government cannot do anything about these Chinese people, it has tried to restrict us from keeping contact with them," Lee added.
Rather than keeping the ban, the government should lift it to better regulate immigration and show a friendly gesture to improve cross-strait relations, he said.
Lee threatened to mobilize the residents from the offshore islands to stage a demonstration in Taipei if the bill is rejected.
In response, Lin Chong-pin (
Lin said the Cabinet will conduct a detailed evaluation and make a decision next Thursday on how to handle the bill.
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
TALKS CONTINUE: Although an agreement has not been reached with Washington, lowering the tariff from 32 percent to 20 percent is still progress, the vice premier said Taiwan would strive for a better US tariff rate in negotiations, with the goal being not just lowering the current 20-percent tariff rate, but also securing an exemption from tariff stacking, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said yesterday. Cheng made the remarks at a news conference at the Executive Yuan explaining the new US tariffs and the government’s plans for supporting affected industries. US President Donald Trump on July 31 announced a new tariff rate of 20 percent on Taiwan’s exports to the US starting on Thursday last week, and the Office of Trade Negotiations on Friday confirmed that it
RSS