The government’s dealings with China are “worrisome” because they are conducted in an oblique fashion and without a public consensus, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Tsai was briefing Japanese media yesterday on the purpose of Sunday’s anti-government demonstration, saying it was to protest against President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) policies, especially those related to Taiwan-China relations.
Sunday’s rally is also a protest against the government’s proposed amendment to the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), which would turn Taiwan into a police state if passed, she said.
The passage of the act, she warned, would restrict people’s freedom to speak and assemble. This would be the antithesis of democracy, she said.
The DPP will provide more details on the protest at an international press conference today.
Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus deputy secretary-general John Wu (吳志揚) urged the DPP to cancel its rally on Sunday.
Citing a poll conducted by the Chinese-language China Times yesterday that said 56.1 percent of respondents were satisfied with the Ma administration’s performance over the past year, up from 45 percent in another poll last month, Wu told a press conference that the legitimacy of the DPP’s rally would be questioned.
KMT caucus secretary-general Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) said: “The DPP should understand that improvement in the economy, rather than political wrangling, is the public’s first priority.”
The poll surveyed 1,019 people earlier this week and showed an increase of 11.2 percentage points in Ma’s rating since a poll taken last month. His rating is up from 35.5 percent in July when Taiwan fell victim to the global financial downturn.
In related news, pan-blue camp Taipei City councilors yesterday condemned Taipei City’s Department of Transportation for failing to present complete traffic control measures on Monday for the DPP’s sit-in protest, urging the department to protect the “rights of the majority.”
The DPP obtained a permit to hold a rally on Ketagalan Boulevard on Sunday, but decided not to apply for permission for the sit-in protest that will last until Monday.
New Party Taipei City Councilor Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) said although the DPP refused to make the 24-hour sit-in protest legal by applying to the Taipei City Government for permission, the department should still draw up traffic control measures for people who need to work on Monday.
“The sit-in protest is two days away and the department has only presented a traffic control plan for the rally on Sunday. The traffic on Monday is what we are concerned about because most people will be returning to work,” she said yesterday at the Taipei City Council.
New Party Taipei City Councilor Hou Kuang-chun (侯冠群) also demanded that the department and Taipei City’s Police Department present a traffic plan so that those who need to visit National Taiwan University Hospital or go to schools near the Presidential Office would not be affected by the sit-in.
Fang Yang-ning (方仰寧), director of Taipei City Police Department’s Traffic Division, said it would implement flexible traffic controls on Monday as it was difficult to estimate the exact number of protesters who will stay for the sit-in. Fang, who handled traffic control during the 24-hour sit-in protest against then president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in 2006, promised to make sure students and patients would be able to enter the area unimpeded.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND AFP
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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