The Presidential Office dismissed a report yesterday that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) plans to reinstate a defunct council tasked with formulating policies to promote unification with China.
The National Unification Council was set up in 1990 by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government to promote unification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
The council was considered largely symbolic and had been dormant since 2000, when Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic Progressive Party took office.
In February 2006, Chen signed documents to cancel the functions of the agency and the application of the National Unification Guidelines.
Chen defended his decision, citing Beijing’s military threat and its pledge to use non-peaceful means if necessary to prevent Taiwan from declaring formal independence.
Chen said the population of Taiwan alone could decide the nation’s future.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday that the Ma administration was considering restoring the council to help facilitate cross-strait exchanges.
In response, Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) rejected the report as a “rumor.”
“President Ma has made it clear that ‘no unification, no independence and no use of force’ is the present guideline for the mainland policy,” he said while accompanying Ma on a trip to Pingtung County.
“There has been no change. We have no plan to reinstate the council.”
During the run-up to the March 22 presidential polls, Ma repeatedly assured voters he would maintain the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese