The application for a referendum on the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) will be discussed on Wednesday as scheduled, despite the proposer withdrawing from a hearing yesterday, Referendum Review Committee chairman Chao Yung-mau (趙永茂) said.
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝), the initiator of the referendum proposal, said Chao should, as committee chairman, not convene the hearing. Huang then withdrew from the hearing.
Huang filed an administrative lawsuit in the Taipei High Administrative Court after his application was vetoed by the committee last year, but the court dismissed his lawsuit.
Photo: CNA
Huang then took the case to the Supreme Administrative Court, which overruled the Taipei High Administrative Court, saying that the committee has to review the application.
The TSU chairman told a press conference yesterday that a July 10 meeting of the review committee, which discussed the agenda and process of the hearing, was illegal because committee members at the meeting were less than the required threshold of half of the total number of members.
The TSU would file a report to the Control Yuan and demand an investigation into illegal practices in related government agencies, including the Ministry of the Interior, he 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
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