President Chen Shui-bian (
Later in the day, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus said it would introduce a bill defending the "sovereignty of the Republic of China [ROC]" in an act of defiance against China's move to enshrine aggression toward Taiwan in Chinese law.
Chen was addressing a ceremony marking the promotion of military personnel to the post of general in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Noting China's increase in military spending even as it refused to renounce the use of force against Taiwan, Chen appealed to the public to support the arms-procurement budget, which is stalled in the legislature.
The DPP caucus is seeking the support of the People First Party (PFP) to push the bill through the legislature. In return, the DPP would support a first reading for the PFP's "cross-strait peace advancement" bill and its delivery to appropriate committees for review.
"We are proposing this bill to counter China's anti-secession bill, and there shouldn't be any reason for the pan-blue camp to oppose it," DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (
Ker said that he would ask opposition caucuses to negotiate the matter on Monday and try to have the bill pass the Procedure Committee the following day so that it can be handled at the next legislative sitting.
The resolution states that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country neither governed by nor belonging to China. It also says that the cross-strait "status quo" cannot be changed unless the public consent to this via referendum.
The DPP's bill has not been welcomed by members of the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).
"We definitely won't back it. If the DPP wants us to sign, they should make a new constitution first to define the ROC's status," TSU caucus whip Chen Chien-ming (
But it was not clear at press time if the TSU caucus had come up with a formal response, with acting chairman Huang Chung-yuan (
The PFP caucus, meanwhile, said it would back the bill only if the DPP added a clause opposing independence and insisting on the retention of the national title.
At the same time, PFP caucus whip Liu Wen-hsiung (
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
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This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park this weekend, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a theme food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances. Pokemon Go Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as photo attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs. Pokemon trainers could also experience the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area. Three PokeStops are to be set up in the park. Trainers are invited to take
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