The government will make known in two weeks its stance on proposed direct charter flights across the Taiwan Strait during the lunar New Year holiday, Premier Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday.
The charter flights could help the two sides restart regular air links that were cut five decades ago. Taiwan has long banned the flights because of security concerns, and travelers must stop at a third point -- usually Hong Kong -- before going to the mainland.
Yu instructed the Mainland Affairs Council -- the nation's top agency for dealing with China policy -- to come up with an assessment on the issue within a fortnight, so that Taiwanese businessmen based in China would not have to keep waiting for an answer.
Opposition KMT Legislator John Chang (章孝嚴) has drawn up a petition which urges the government to allow direct charter flights between Shanghai and Taipei during the upcoming holidays to expedite the return of Taiwan businesspeople for family reunions.
A total of 128 lawmakers from the 225-seat legislature have signed the petition.
"The Cabinet will soon address the proposal now that it is no longer an opinion of a single legislator," the premier said, responding to questions from PFP lawmaker Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋). "It will offer an explanation to the public within half a month."
MAC Vice Chairman Chen Ming-tung (陳明通), who attended the interpellation session on behalf of his boss Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), painted the matter as "difficult" in light of the vast number of passengers involved.
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