Lawmakers who allegedly leaked to the press details of a closed-door meeting on Wednesday were condemned in a resolution passed by the Legislative Yuan yesterday.
"Legislators are fully aware of the rules for closed-door meetings and whoever leaks details should be condemned. Hopefully this will make the individuals concerned behave themselves," said KMT Legislator Chen Horng-chi (陳鴻基), who is chairman of the Legislative Yuan's Discipline Committee.
Wednesday's meeting, which was called by the legislature's Budget Committee, discussed the budgets of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense and National Security Bureau, according to reports.
Half way through the meeting, reporters waiting outside the meeting room had already got wind of what was discussed inside -- that Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Hung-mao (
The information was allegedly passed to the press by lawmakers.
Publicizing the name of a potential ally doesn't usually happen because of the sensitivity of the situation. China has a policy of international isolation against Taiwan. Currently, only 29 countries maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
"China's suppression will follow once news about a new ally is publicized in advance. Past experience has shown that such a plan would simply `die on exposure,'" DPP Legislator Yang Chiu-hsing (
Yang demanded a criminal investigation by justice authorities to determine who was responsible for the leak and said if the situation was allowed to continue it could severely jeopardize Taiwan's security.
"There will be no need for the Chinese to send spies here, because there are already spies in the legislature. China can gain immediate knowledge of Taiwan's confidential budgets, confidential policy planning and confidential meetings," Yang said.
Wang Shih-hsun (
Yang and Wang said they were ready to file for an interpretation from the Council of Grand Justices on the scope of legislators' immunity.
"It is debatable whether legislators should be protected when they take advantage of their positions and leak national secrets," Yang said.
KMT Legislator Chu Li-luan (
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
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
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