As Taiwan celebrated Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Office yesterday, several groups, re-presenting special interests such as labor and the environment, converged near the site to "remind" the new president to "cash the political checks" he issued during his campaign.
"We're not here to stage a protest, but to offer our blessing to the new president and to remind him to make good on promises he has made to us," said Lee Ching-sheng (李慶昇), director of the board at the Confederation of Taipei Trade Unions (台北市產業總工會).
Such "promises" referred to opposing the continuing construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, preserving the Chienkuo beer factory, reducing weekly working hours, and allowing those without the possession of real estate to use house rental fees to file for a tax deduction.
Susan Chen (
"The legislature has decided to postpone [the bill] for another two years, but policy decisions should not be made at the expense of the interests of minority groups," she said.
On March 11, Chen promised the labor community that he would implement labor changes by 2002, reducing working hours from 48 hours per week to 44 hours by this year, followed by a further reduction to 40 hours with a five-day workweek by 2002.
In late April, DPP legislators initiated a bill promising to do just that, and won the endorsement of legislators from other political parties.
But when the bill was submitted for a vote on May 1, the KMT, New Party and People First Party caucuses dropped their support for the bill in a sudden reversal that critics said was due to opposition from major conglomerates.
Lai Wei-chieh (
Huang Ta-tsung (
The abolition of the monopoly system and the shutdown of the factory were part of preparations for Taiwan's expected entry into the WTO.
Lu Ping-yi (
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