President-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) should make a pledge to show her incoming administration’s determination to address the issue of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) ill-gotten party assets, academics said yesterday.
Critics have labeled the KMT’s assets “ill-gotten” because the party took them from the Japanese colonial government, private businesses and individuals when it took control of Taiwan in the late 1940s.
Despite several bills proposed at the legislature on “ill-gotten party assets,” academics said they are worried about the actual result of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) campaign to pursue the matter, as the issue is politically sensitive and highly polarized.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Lo Cheng-tsung (羅承宗) of the Zero Party Asset Alliance said the incoming Tsai administration does not have to wait until the legislation is passed to pursue the KMT’s illegitimate party assets.
He said that although the DPP was a minority in the legislature when former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was in power, and there was no legislation on the issue, the Ministry of Civil Service was already checking on the KMT’s assets.
Therefore, the first thing Tsai should do when she is sworn in is to have the government continue such work based on what has already been accomplished, while updating information on the Executive Yuan’s Web site.
Huang Shih-hsin (黃世鑫), an honorary professor at National Taipei University’s Department of Public Finance, said that Tsai should clearly declare her determination in pursuing the KMT’s assets and make legislation on KMT assets a priority in the legislature. Moreover, if a commission on ill-gotten assets is created, it should immediately ask the KMT to submit relevant documents, or the party headquarters should be searched, adding that there should also be clauses to provide awards to whistle-blowers from within the party, he said.
Hsu Hui-feng (許惠峰), a law professor at Chinese Cultural University, said that as the DPP holds an absolute majority at the legislature, it should integrate different versions of proposals to take care of the issue as quickly as possible and exempt those who were involved in handling ill-gotten party assets from criminal responsibilities so that they cooperate.
Lo said organizations affiliated with the KMT, such as the China Youth Corps and the National Women’s League of the Republic of China, should be pursued as “organizations whose personnel, finance or operations are currently or have been under the control of a political party” as stipulated in the New Power Party’s proposal.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS