The legislature yesterday passed amendments to the Temporary Statute Regarding the Welfare Pension of Senior Farmers (
The revised scheme will go into effect on Jan. 1 next year and is estimated to benefit 710,000 farmers and fishermen. The government is projected to spend an additional NT$8.6 billion annually to extend the scheme. The annual cost currently is about NT$23 billion and benefits 670,000 farmers and fishermen nationwide.
The controversial "cross-strait peace advancement bill" (海峽兩岸和平促進法) proposed by the People First Party and the "anti-invasion peace bill" (反侵略和平法) proposed by the Taiwan Solidarity Union were set aside for further cross-party negotiations as well as a commission of inquiry to investigate insider trading by "vulture investment groups."
Legal revisions to the farmer pension law stipulate that the two special municipalities of Taipei and Kaohsiung cities should pay 50 percent of the expenses of senior farmers residing in the two cities, while the central government pays the other 50 percent.
The central government will also shoulder the full payment for senior farmers living in other countries and cities.
Lawmakers also attached three resolutions to the amendments. First, the additional expenses will be covered by supplementary bud-get requests. Second, a perpetual retirement pension scheme for farmers should be established as soon as possible. Finally, a national annuity program should be instituted to allow all senior citizens to receive a monthly pension of NT$7,500.
The farmer-pension law was enacted in 1995 to give senior farmers and fishermen a monthly pension of NT$3,000. The law was later revised to increase the amount to NT$4,000.
The annuity program is designed to benefit those not covered by a private pension provision and was part of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) campaign platform in the 2000 presidential election.
EXPANSIONIST: China deploys an average of 40 to 50 warships and coast guard vessels daily in the South China Sea, despite pledges not to militarize the region, an official said China is attempting to expand its influence across the First Island Chain and increase pressure on Japan by sending coast guard vessels into waters off of Taiwan under the pretext of maritime negotiations with Japan and the Philippines, a national security official said yesterday. China’s recent actions in the waters east of Taiwan and Japan and the Philippines’ exclusive economic zones (EEZ) are attempts to establish dominance in First Island Chain waters, said the official who declined to be named, adding that this is “expansion disguised as law enforcement.” Framing China’s actions solely as a cross-strait issue is a serious misjudgment that
Through analyzing fossil evidence, a research team at National Taiwan University (NTU) discovered the largest endemic bird to have lived in Taiwan, naming it Pavo miejue, or extinct peafowl (滅絕孔雀). The Mikado pheasant, which is printed on the back of the NT$1,000 bank note, was previously believed to be the biggest endemic bird to Taiwan. The research team’s findings suggest that Pavo miejue lived during the Pleistocene epoch tens of thousands of years ago. It is the first endemic extinct bird species discovered and formally named in Taiwan. The study was coauthored by NTU Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology professor Tsai Cheng-hsiu (蔡政修),
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to suspend its automated Skytrain service connecting Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 starting on July 1 to facilitate connection works for the upcoming Terminal 3, the airport operator said today. Passengers and staff who need to travel between the two terminals after the suspension can instead use the Taoyuan MRT or the airport's 24-hour shuttle bus service, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said. The Taoyuan MRT Airport Line directly links the two terminals, while the shuttle buses are to operate around the clock, the company added. The Skytrain provides free transportation between the airport’s two terminals for travelers and
Taiwan ranked 42nd in terms of peacefulness among 163 countries, down five places from last year, according to this year’s Global Peace Index. With an overall score of 1.751, Taiwan dropped from 37th last year, the report published by the global Institute for Economics and Peace showed. The overall score measures a country’s level of peacefulness using 23 quantitative and qualitative indicators across three domains — ongoing domestic and international conflict, societal safety and security, and militarization. While Taiwan ranked 42nd worldwide, it was listed in ninth place among the 19 Asian-Pacific countries in the report, after New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia,
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