A proposal presented by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus to raise the monthly subsidy for elderly farmers by NT$1,000 (US$32.79) moved forward procedurally yesterday after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus backed off from its previous opposition.
The move came after the DPP ran a television advertisement that accused the KMT of obstructing the amendment to the Temporary Statute Regarding the Welfare Pension of Senior Farmers (老年農民福利津貼暫行條例).
Without objection, the legislative plenary session yesterday referred the DPP caucus-proposed amendment, which proposes raising the subsidy from NT$6,000 to NT$7,000 a month and would require an estimated extra budget of NT$8.7 billion, directly to a second reading, meaning it does not have to undergo a preliminary review at the committee stage.
The referral allows the DPP caucus to ask for a vote during the second reading of the amendment if lawmakers across party lines fail to reach a consensus on the bill after a one-month negotiation period ends.
“We did not want it to become an issue in the [presidential and legislative] elections in January,” KMT legislative caucus whip Chao Li-yun (趙麗雲) said when asked why her caucus changed its position on the proposal.
Chao said the KMT caucus would coordinate party members after the Executive Yuan has put forward the government’s position within a month, as promised by Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄).
Some KMT lawmakers have already initiated various amendments, with Legislator Chung Shao-ho (鍾紹和) suggesting raising the subsidy to NT$10,000.
Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) did not comment when questioned by DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) on whether the government supported a rise in the subsidy during a question-and-answer session yesterday.
The DPP caucus did not oppose the NT$11 billion budget earmarked for a 3 percent pay raise for civil servants that started on July 1 “and we hope the government will also support the increase in the subsidy for elderly farmers,” Tsai said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS