The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) intends to honor its promise of allowing two lawmakers to share one seat in the Legislative Yuan and will officially announce the swap at the end of the month, the party said.
The party adopted the system of allowing two people to share one legislative seat after the slogan “One vote per family to help the TSU” helped the party garner 8.9 percent of the vote in the 2012 combined elections, TSU Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) said.
With only two years allotted to each legislator, the party would be able send six members to the legislature, Lin said, adding that as a small party the TSU has limited resources and the system would allow the party to utilize those resources most efficiently.
Lin stepped down as a lawmaker and was replaced by former Greater Kaohsiung councilor Yeh Chin-ling (葉津鈴) in August last year.
The TSU’s two other legislators, Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) and Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲), will finish their two-year terms at the end of the month, Lin said.
Their seats will go to National Taipei College of Business dean Lai Chen-chang (賴振昌) and the party’s organization department deputy director Chou Ni-an (周倪安), Lin said, adding that Hsu and Huang would be assuming the position of heads of the TSU Policy Research Committee and the Judiciary Reform Committee respectively.
Lin added that it was possible that both would run in this year’s elections.
Citing its resistance to allowing US beef containing traces of ractopamine to enter the market and its disapproval of the hikes in fuel and electricity prices, Lin said the TSU had accomplished a lot in the past two years, despite its minority presence in the legislature.
Lin added that by supporting the impeachment of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and opposing the completion of construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao Dictrict (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), and the proposed cross-strait service trade agreement, the TSU had garnered quite a bit of public support.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS