DPP, TSU successfully delay direct transportation bill

The DPP and the TSU yesterday successfully delayed opposition efforts to push a bill through the legislature that would have opened direct transportation links with China within six months.

The vote on the proposal will now be held in November, when the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) plans to introduce its own version of the bill.

The opposition bill was sent to the Home and Nations Committee Friday, but after cross-party negotiations, lawmakers reached a consensus to wait to examine the bill until the MAC's version is ready.

The draft bill contains amendments to the Statute Governing the Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例).

The lawmakers did agree, however, to complete three readings of the amendment before November.

MAC Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that the council will announce its version of the amendment by June 20 to allow lawmakers and the public to provide their opinions on the proposal before the Cabinet finalizes the draft bill.

In her report to lawmakers yesterday, Tsai said that "the passage of legislation [on the matter] has no significant benefit to cross-strait direct transportation [because] direct links could never materialize before China holds talks with Taiwan."

While he agreed with Tsai's comment, KMT lawmaker Chang Chang-tsai (張昌財) said that the legislation should be completed nevertheless so that it will be in place when talks begin.

The committee eventually resolved to put the bill on the priority list for review in the next legislative session that begins in September.

Meanwhile, lawmakers decided yesterday to ask the MAC to carry out the direct transport links between Penghu and China within three months.

Penghu is included in the "small three links" policy which allows outlying islands such as Kinmen and Matsu to have direct links with China. However, direct transport links have not yet been carried out in Penghu.

According to Tsai, the reason no direct trips have yet taken place is because of national security concerns because of Penghu's strategic position in the middle of the Taiwan Strait.

Penghu independent lawmaker Lin Pin-kun (林炳坤) criticized the fact that the links haven't been carried out yet in Penghu.

"Now that we are discussing direct transportation between Taiwan proper and China, how do the residents of Penghu benefit from the `small three links' policy?" he said.

Lin said the government should make the "small three links" policy workable before carrying out direct links.

In response to Lin's criticism, Tsai promised yesterday that direct transportation between Penghu and China will be carried out within three months on a case by case basis.