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.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all