President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday announced his administration would give higher childbirth subsidies to female workers who give birth to twins, while offering loans to encourage women to start their own business as he promised to promote women’s rights.
Ma made the announcement at a forum with female labor representatives in Taipei.
Starting next year, female workers who give birth to twins would be entitled to a two-month childbirth subsidy, and those who have triplets can apply for a three-month subsidy.
Current regulations state that all female workers who give birth are eligible for a one-month childbirth subsidy from the labor insurance scheme.
The president also promised a three-year zero interest loan of NT$1 million to female workers who are the main financial providers in their families to help them start their own businesses.
The plan is an extension of the current two-year zero interest loan project.
“Most female workers have heavier responsibilities than their male counterparts as they try to strike a balance between family and work. I’ve always cared about women’s rights since my terms as Taipei mayor and it is my responsibility [as president] to protect their rights,” Ma said.
The announcement was Ma’s latest attempt to appeal to women’s groups ahead of the presidential election.
Earlier yesterday, Ma met with members of the former National Assembly, as the delegates pledged to support him in the presidential election.
The members, led by former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and former director of the assembly Chen Ching-jang (陳金讓), promised to devote all their efforts to campaigning for Ma.
Ma, who also served as a member of the assembly, used the occasion to defend the so-called “1992 consensus,” arguing that the consensus was reached in August 1992 during a meeting of the National Unification Commission and that “one China” refers to the Republic of China.
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) presided over the meeting in preparation for cross-strait negotiations between the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) in October 1992 in Hong Kong and, despite the fact that no concrete results were reached during the negotiations, the SEF and ARATS agreed that each side could have its own interpretation of “one China,” Ma said.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
SHIFT: Taiwan is evolving from a transit stop into a tourist destination, with more international travelers willing to spend on tours, dining and cultural activities Taiwan rose three places in the World Tourism Barometer to 36th globally in 2024, with international tourism revenue of US$10.028 billion, the Tourism Administration said on Monday. The UN Tourism Organization publication said that its focus has switched from whether a country has returned to pre-COVID-19 levels of tourism to the amount spent by a tourist during an overseas trip. The nation last year welcomed 8.57 million international tourists, about 9 percent more than in 2024, with most tourists coming from Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong and Macau, all of which accounted for at least 1 million tourists each. During the first
RSS