A new Web site putting the contact information of more than 70,000 non-profit organizations (NPOs) online was announced yesterday by the Ministry of the Interior, with plans to consider revisions to the Civil Associations Act (人民團體法) to allow additional information to be publicized.
“The range of government bodies responsible for regulating different types of civil organizations is extremely diverse, including all sorts of national ministries, as well as local governments,” said Chen Chih-chang (陳志章), the deputy director of the ministry’s Cooperative and Civil Associations Preparatory Office.
“For a citizen to understand how an organization functioned or verify that it was officially registered used to be unclear and inconvenient,” Chen said. “Providing this information meets a need and with the integrated map feature it will make it easier for people to find organizations near where they live, encouraging participation.”
The new Web site allows for searches using a wide variety of parameters including region, organization name and type. Organizations’ addresses and telephone numbers are listed, as well as their publically registered leader or responsible person.
Information omitted includes financial reports and names of board members, both of which organizations are required to submit to their governing bodies regularly after registration.
Registration allows NPOs to gain a legal personage, letting them set up their own bank accounts, compete for government contracts and claim tax exemptions.
“Moving in the direction of greater openness is an irreversible trend, but how much information should be opened up is still something we have to discuss in full with these groups,” Chen said, adding that because there were logistical and legal challenges to releasing further information on the NPOs, the ministry would hold discussions with groups before proposing amendments to the Civil Associations Act (人民團體法).
Because the ministry’s Web site relies on information provided by other government agencies for many organizations, guaranteeing timely and accurate updates on the names of organizations’ board members would be difficult, he said, adding that privacy was also a concern.
“The president of an organization is responsible for it and has to be willing to step forward, but whether or not an individual board should be obligated to do the same is something that deserves full discussion,” Chen said.
He said that there were also privacy concerns to publicizing financial reports.
“Financial reports will touch on individual salaries for the president and employees,” Chen said. “The Civil Associations Act mandates that after an organizations’ budget is passed, it has to be submitted to us for reference and approval. That’s as far as it goes – it doesn’t say that we have the right to let everyone know this information.”
The database can be accessed at npo.moi.gov.tw/npom/.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
RSS