A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Shin-yuan (
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsieh Hsin-ni (
She went on to say that getting society to pay attention to this issue and changing public perceptions about breastfeeding is more important than the actual passage of the law.
Under the new proposal, mothers would get six months of paid maternity leave and have a right to demand flexible working hours to nurse their child. Employers violating the law could be fined between NT$5,000 (US$151) and NT$100,000.
If a woman is fired because she needs to nurse her child, she would be entitled to half of her monthly wages while the lawsuit is being investigated, and the employer could face up to 30 days in jail or a fine between NT$10,000 and NT$200,000.
Employers would also have to provide a space for mothers to nurse at the workplace.
Offending employers could be subject to fines of NT$10,000 to NT$200,000, which would continue to be imposed if they failed to comply with the regulation within the allotted time.
In addition, both non-profit and commercial organizations would be forbidden from providing free or discount baby formula, nor could they encourage mothers to use it.
Formula producers and dealers would be prohibited from advertising at companies or providing free samples to mothers.
Formula packaging and related advertising would also contain a notice describing the benefits of breastfeeding. Organizations or companies found in violation could be fined between NT$50,000 and NT$1 million.
Although nursing rights are covered under the Gender Equality Employment Law (
They hope that the new law will focus attention on the importance of proper breastfeeding and create a more nursing-friendly environment for mothers.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard