■ LEGISLATION
KMT will not revisit bills
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus whip Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍) yesterday said the party would not support a reconsideration of the two amendments to the Farmers Association Law (農會法) and the Fishermen Association Law (漁會法) that critics said would pave the way for the "return of black gold politics." She said the decision was made by a group of seven party members in charge of studying the feasibility of overturning the two passed amendments, adding that the party's final position on the issue would need to be approved during today's caucus meeting.
■ LEGISLATION
Amendment passes reading
A legislative committee yesterday passed the first reading of an amendment to the Physically and Mentally Disabled Citizens Protection Act (身心障礙者保護法) to increase employment opportunities for the disabled. The Sanitation, Environment and Social Welfare Committee estimates the proposed amendment would provide 4,800 additional jobs for the disabled. The Physically and Mentally Disabled Citizens Protection Act has been amended seven times since it was first enacted in 1980. Article 31 of the act stipulates that any government agency, public school, or state-run institution with 50 or more employees must reserve 2 percent of its jobs for disabled workers and that any private school, organization, or private business firm with 100 or more employees must reserve at least 1 percent of its jobs for disabled workers.
■ DIPLOMACY
Huang vows to protect ties
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will pull out all the stops to consolidate the country's diplomatic relations with its allies in Central America, Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) said on Sunday. Huang made the remarks amid reports of concern about a possible "wave of diplomatic defection to China" or "switch of diplomatic allegiance to China" of Taiwan's allies in the region. Huang headed for Belize yesterday to meet his counterparts from Central American countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The meeting is a regular annual event which takes place alternately in Taiwan and one of its allies in the region.
■ POLITICS
Ministry to appeal CKS fine
The Ministry of Education will file an appeal if it is slapped with a fine by the Taipei City Government over the removal of dictator Chiang Kai-shek's (蔣介石) name from a memorial hall, an official said yesterday. Chu Nan-hsien (朱楠賢), director of the ministry's Social Education Department, made the remarks after Lee Yung-ping (李永萍), director of Taipei City's Cultural Affairs Department, said the day before that her department had fined the "Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall" Administration NT$100,000 for failure to remove the canvas blocking the name plate of the hall and the two giant banners on the walls of the hall. Lee said that the notice for the cloth's removal was issued on Saturday evening and that the fine was handed out on Sunday. Successive fines will be levied for violating provisions of the Cultural Assets Preservation Law if the administration of the hall, which is under the the ministry's jurisdiction, fails to take action, she added. In response, Chu said he saw nothing illegal in "putting clothes" on the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall. If the city government insisted on its stance, Chu said, the ministry would appeal the case after receiving the fine.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
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