POLITICS
DPP’s Ker asked to testify
A resolution by the Legislative Yuan’s Discipline Committee yesterday asked Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) to testify before the committee on Friday next week to explain his alleged role in an improper lobbying case, which also involves Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平). Ker, who said that he had never asked Wang to lobby for him, reported himself to the legislature and demanded to be investigated. A plenary session at the legislature decided to refer the case to the Discipline Committee, and required the investigation to be digitally recorded and broadcast online simultaneously.
DIPLOMACY
Ma thanks Tuvalu for aid
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday expressed gratitude to the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu for its donation of US$210,000 in the wake of Typhoon Morakot in 2009. Tuvalu’s donation amounted to 1 percent of its economic output, Ma said, in a meeting with Tuvaluan Prime Minister Enele Sosene Sopoaga in Taipei. Ma said he was very surprised and full of gratitude when he learned of the country’s generosity. Tuvalu, one of Taiwan’s 23 diplomatic allies, donated US$210,000 in relief aid after Morakot caused the heaviest flooding in the nation in 50 years. Taiwan has been active in donating to relief efforts overseas, but has never contributed such a big percentage of its GDP, Ma said. He also thanked Tuvalu for its consistent support for Taiwan in the international arena over the years and most recently at the Pacific Islands Forum in the Marshall Islands in September. At that forum, Tuvalu paid tribute to Taiwan for its contribution to the development of the South Pacific nations, Ma said. He also commended Sopoaga’s efforts to push for Taiwan’s participation in the UN.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard