More than 30 non-profit organizations yesterday joined a mock review of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) in the legislature yesterday, in an attempt to increase pressure on lawmakers to hold a substantive review of the controversial trade pact.
The mock review included representatives from human rights, labor and government watchdog organizations who later issued a joint statement saying that they were attempting to do the job that the legislature was supposed to carry out.
“Cross-strait agreements should be monitored on the basis of [looking after] Taiwan’s democracy, human rights ... environmental [issues] ... and sovereignty,” the statement said.
PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
It added that they would compile the viewpoints discussed during the review and forward them to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucuses.
The DPP caucus has boycotted the ECFA review in protest against a decision by the KMT caucus to bypass a committee review and send it straight to a second reading.
The group yesterday blasted the KMT’s move, saying it was “clearly illegal.”
Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強), convener of the session, said the recordings from the legislative session on July 8 clearly showed some DPP lawmakers rejecting a proposal to send the pact directly to a second reading.
“But the legislative speaker did not even hold a vote on it and directly announced the verdict ... there are clearly some defects in the process,” he said.
Suggestions later compiled from the session’s comments include correcting the legislative record to state that some legislators did express their opposition to sending the pact directly to a second reading, when lawmakers meet again next month. Another suggestion was to send it back to the legislative committee for further review and to hold public hearings.
Tsai Chi-hsun (蔡季勳), an official with the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, denied that the mock review was politically motivated.
“Our aim is to monitor cross-strait agreements in the long-term. We are not involved with any particular political party and are non-partisan,” he said.
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
RSS