An emergency-response mechanism activated on March 19 following the shooting of President Chen Shui-bian (
His remarks came during a breakfast meeting between People First Party (PFP) legislators and leading members of the government's national security apparatus.
Legislators asked the officials to explain why the national security mechanism was launched on March 19, the eve of the presidential election, when Chen was attacked in Tainan.
According to Huang Lai (黃磊), deputy director of the National Security Bureau (NSB), the bureau's regulations do not spell out what the national security mechanism requires it to do.
PFP Legislator Sheu Yuan-kuo (
Huang said NSB had an internal emergency-response mechanism to deal with crises, "but I think measures handling crises based on decisions jointly made by top agencies from both the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office can be generally regarded as part of the national security mechanism."
Representatives from the Ministry of National Defense said its regulations included no mention of a national security mechanism and that on March 19, the ministry received no order to launch such a mechanism.
PFP legislators including Chou Hsi-wei (
In response, Lin stressed that the launch of the national security mechanism was in accordance with the Constitution but that did not affect military personnel.
Secretary-General to the Presidential Office Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) further explained the mechanism after meeting with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) and his PFP counterpart Tsai Chung-hsiung (蔡鐘雄) yesterday afternoon.
"After the launch of the national security mechanism, chiefs from agencies dealing with cross-strait affairs, diplomacy, national defense and finance and economics have to have a meeting as soon as possible in order to monitor the activities of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and economic development," Chiou said.
Chiou said that the launch of the mechanism did not affect servicemen's ability to go home to vote on March 20.
According to Chiou, the mechanism had been used three times since Chen came to power: following the terrorist attacks on the US in September 2001; after the Bali bombing in 2002; and during the SARS outbreak last year.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS