Despite criticism from all political parties and from residents of areas devastated by Tropical Storm Mindulle, Vice President Annette Lu (
"I don't care about those criticisms. No matter which people attack me, I am only concerned about my responsibility to history," Lu said. "We must show more respect to heaven, earth and humankind; then we can succeed in avoiding more natural disasters in the future."
Lu reaffirmed her idea that the Cabinet should organize a "special administration" to manage and protect the country's mountain areas. She also said that "The government must have an advanced immigration policy, because Taiwan is so small while the population is increasing quickly."
Lu made her remarks yesterday while attending the opening of an Aboriginal exhibition hall in Taoyuan County.
She said her purpose is to encourage Taiwanese people to develop enterprises overseas to expand Taiwan's "territory," especially when two-thirds of the land in Taiwan's mountainous areas has been over-cultivated in past decades.
"Premier Yu Shyi-kun has told his Cabinet to proceed in offering post-disaster relief, but I would like to lead the public to think about our future," she said.
Lu also suggested that the Ministry of National Defense should enhance military training to cope with natural disasters.
Lu's remarks failed to ease criticisms, and one new comment -- her assertion that Aboriginal tribes were not the original inhabitants of Taiwan -- provoked further anger from Aboriginal communities.
"Is the purpose of the vice president to try to demolish history?" said Aboriginal Legislator Walis Pelin (
Many Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators were worried that Lu may ruin the ruling party's chances in the legislative elections.
Senior Presidential Advisor Koo Kuan-min (
"I think that everybody is used to her inappropriate remarks, so is her new suggestion really so serious?" said Koo.
Koo said that after Chen won the election, "it is just like [Chen] is holding a bomb, when you don't know when it will go off."
"Under such difficult circumstances [as the storm], the government should do more than just talk, not to mention that the vice president's job is not to serve as a commentator," he said.
"However, just as it is impossible to stop the Tamsui River from flowing, one can not silence a vice president just by blocking up her mouth," Koo said. "She has to realize the duty of a vice president."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
THE GOOD WORD: More than 100 colleges on both sides of the Pacific will work together to bring students to Taiwan so they can learn Mandarin where it is spoken A total of 102 universities from Taiwan and the US are collaborating in a push to promote Taiwan as the first-choice place to learn Mandarin, with seven Mandarin learning centers stood up in the US to train and support teachers, the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) said. At the annual convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages held over the weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana, a Taiwan Pavilion was jointly run by 17 representative teams from the FICHET, the Overseas Community Affairs Council, the Steering Committee for the Test of Proficiency-Huayu, the
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
RSS