The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday asked the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to "do the right thing" instead of focusing on its former chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) trip to China.
"I hope KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will call back those 30 KMT lawmakers who are currently accompanying Lien in China so that pending proposals, such as the arms purchase bill, will not be delayed again," said DPP caucus whip Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻).
Chen made the remarks when he was approached by reporters yesterday.
PHOTO: AFP
He complained that the absence of KMT lawmakers who accompanied Lien to China has slowed the legislative session, and that many proposals have yet to be discussed, reviewed or approved.
Chen said that the US arms purchase bill has been blocked by the pan-blue camp more than 50 times since it was first introduced in 2004, and noted that the approval of Control Yuan nominees has also been delayed.
"These two proposals, for example, have seriously influenced and impacted the country's national defense and the spirit of the Constitution. We need to fix these kinds of problem as soon as possible," Chen said.
The DPP caucus whip was upset that some 30 KMT lawmakers left Taiwan for Beijing even though the legislature is in session.
"[KMT lawmakers] won't spend any time talking to us, but they go to Beijing to talk to the Chinese communists. What kind of logic is that? If Ma still cares about this country and its people, he will have to call [his party's] people back to work as soon as possible," Chen said.
In response to Chen's com-plaint, KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Tsai Chin-lung (蔡錦隆) said that the problem was actually created by the DPP.
"Now that the DPP has decided to list the proposal for the arms purchase deal as part of the government's annual budget instead of a stand-alone special budget, they should simply withdraw the proposal, amend it and re-submit it," Tsai said.
Tsai said that the KMT had good reasons for blocking the arms purchase bill. He said that it was actually the DPP legislative caucus' fault because it had not come up with an accurate, legal and reasonable proposal.
"As an opposition party, we definitely need to spot all the defects on behalf of the public," he said.
Meanwhile, Ma yesterday said that his party has demanded that its caucus restart the negotiation mechanism to reach consensus on the arms procurement bill with its pan-blue allies and independent legislators as soon as possible.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS