The legislature yesterday examined a bill to ban anti-personnel mines, while the Ministry of National Defense (MND) expressed the hope that the bill would include a clause allowing the military to use mines to fend off a possible Chinese attack.
Two lawmakers from outlying islands, New Party Legislator Wu Cheng-tian (吳成典) of Kinmen and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Tsao Erh-chung (曹爾忠) of Matsu, proposed a law aimed at removing the more than 100,000 anti-personnel mines on the two islands.
"To end the outlying islands' residents' nightmare of having to `sleep with land mines' for decades, and also to promote Taiwan's international image, we proposed a bill on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling and production of anti-personnel mines, and also on the total destruction and clearance of all mines in the country," Wu said at a legislative defense committee meeting yesterday.
"Although Taiwan's international status has not enabled it to join the Ottawa Treaty, which has been signed by 154 countries and is an international treaty to ban landmines, Taiwan can contribute to the international community by establishing such a law," Wu added.
While Wu and Tsao's proposed bill asked the nation to completely ban anti-personnel mines, KMT Legislator Shuai Hua-min (帥化民) said an anti-personnel mine bill should not totally rule out Taiwan using mines as weapons in a war.
"Mines are still inexpensive and useful weapons for blocking an enemy landing on the nation's territory," Shuai added.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Wen-chung (
The bill proposed by Wu and Tsao would require the nation to clear more than 100,000 land mines in eight years.
Hou said it would be impossible to totally clear that many mines in that timespan, considering budget limitations and technical difficulties.
"The MND would need more time to fund the roughly NT$4.2 billion (US$125 million) budget to clear all mines. And because the tide has been shifting the mines on shorelines, it would take a long time to locate and clear these mines," Hou added.
In view of the different opinions, the committee said further negotiations will be conducted.
Taiwan's military scattered more than 100,000 mines in 152 minefields on Kinmen and Matsu after the KMT fled to Taiwan in 1949. There have been 102 mine-related incidents involving local residents.
Two technicians from Zimbabwe died in April in an explosion, as they cleared a minefield in Kinmen. The foreign technicians were hired by the Kinmen government to clear a minefield before construction began on a reservoir there.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan