The legislature’s Transportation Committee yesterday dismissed its morning session again because of the absence of Minister Without Portfolio Simon Chang (張善政).
The committee was to hear briefings on Thursday last week from the National Communications Commission (NCC) on its plan to issue mobile broadband business licenses.
Chang was invited to attend the meeting, but did not show up.
Since lawmakers on the committee said they wanted to consult with Chang on some policy issues, the committee decided to dismiss the meeting and reschedule.
The committee also passed a resolution condemning Chang for contempt of the legislature.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) and Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said Chang was in charge of the nation’s scientific and technological affairs and can dictate the policies for mobile communications and cloud-computing technologies, while the commission and the ministry simply executed what the Cabinet said. Yet the officials from the commission and Ministry of Transportation and Communications arrived for the meeting yesterday, and Chang did not.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) said that Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) would soon convene a bipartisan negotiation session to determine whether ministers without portfolio should be present at the committee meeting.
The committee then decided to dismiss meeting at 10am.
Meanwhile, NCC Chairman Howard Shyr (石世豪) said new NCC commissioners should assume office in March.
The Executive Yuan nominated former television anchorwoman Wang Yung-ho (汪用和) and NCC adviser Chiang Yu-fen (江幽芬) to be the new NCC commissioners.
Wang’s appointment was interpreted as the returning of a political favor because she is the wife of former KMT legislator Justin Chou (周守訓).
In response, Shyr said Wang’s experience as television news reporter is relevant to her job as NCC commissioner. She has been devoted to a lot of community service lately and knows how to communicate with the public, he said.
Chiang is a very experienced civil servant and has participated in the amending of three major broadcasting acts, Shyr said.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
Three tropical depressions yesterday intensified into tropical storms, with one likely to affect Taiwan as a typhoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The three storms, named Mitag, Ragasa and Neoguri, were designated as storms No. 17 to 19 for this year, the CWA said. Projected routes indicate that Ragasa is most likely to affect Taiwan, it said. As of 2am today, Ragasa was 1,370km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) on the southernmost tip of Taiwan. It was moving west-northwest before turning northwest, slowing from 11kph to 6kph, the agency said. A sea warning for Ragasa is unlikely before Sunday afternoon, but its outer rim