Pan-blue legislators criticized the government yesterday for their failure to maintain public security in the wake of a recent spate of crimes.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers asked National Police Agency Director-General Hou You-yi (
"The case showed how terrible Taiwan's public security is. Even the gangsters dare to brazenly make such provocative moves," KMT legislative caucus whip Hsu Shao-ping (
BROKEN PROMISE
KMT Legislator Lee Ching-hua (
Last March, two months after Su assumed the premiership, he said he would withdraw from political life if he failed to improve public security and reduce crime rates within six months.
People First Party (PFP) lawmakers attempted to make Su live up to his vow by holding a press conference yesterday to urge him to step down over what they perceived as a deterioration in public security.
"Su said last year that he would quit his job if the public did not feel that the crime situation had improved. Now it's time for him to deliver on his promise," PFP Legislator Feng Ting-kuo (
Meanwhile, Minister of the Interior Lee Yi-yang (
TREES, NOT FOREST
However, Lee said that despite a wave of high-profile crimes, public security is not getting worse.
"We can't just see the single cases. We have to gauge whether public security is getting better by the overall situation," the minister said in response to a question from KMT Legislator Huang Chih-hsiung (
Lee said that the accusation that the public security had not improved was not true.
"For example, even Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all