The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it was not satisfied with Premier Lin Chuan’s (林全) responses to their three demands, based on which they occupied the podiums in the legislature’s general assembly chamber to block legislative proceedings on Tuesday.
The premier was able to present his policy report to the legislature yesterday, following his failed attempt on Tuesday, when KMT lawmakers boycotted Lin’s report.
In the latest version of the report provided yesterday, responses to the three demands tabled by the KMT caucus on Tuesday — not to allow the import of US pork with ractopamine, not to allow the import of products from the five Japanese prefectures that were affected by radioactive fallout from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster in March 2011 and to ensure Taiwanese fishermen’s rights are protected in disputed waters near the Okinotori atoll claimed by Japan — were added.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The responses reiterated the Executive Yuan’s response on Wednesday.
On the accusation that imports of US pork containing ractopamine residue would be allowed soon, Lin said that pig farmers’ interests would be protected by enhancing the domestic pork industry and that “until evidence-based risk evaluation is undertaken, we are against any domestic pork and imported pork containing leanness-enhancing additives.”
Regarding the import of Japanese food products from radiation-affected regions, “scientific evidence in line with international regulations would be the grounds for the government’s food safety management” and the government would continue to watch closely the related examinations in Japan and other countries’ regulations and test results concerning Japanese foodstuffs,” Lin said, adding that so far, there are no plans to relax the restrictions.”
On the Okinotori waters dispute, the premier said that there is no dispute over Japan’s sovereignty over Okinotori, but Taiwan’s stance is that Japan should not claim a 200-nautical-mile (370.4km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) based on Okitonori.
“Taiwanese fishermen have the right to fish in the waters near Okinotori and the government will make every effort to guard their rights,” Lin said, but added that whether Okinotori is an island, which would be grounds for an EEZ, is an issue that has not been decided by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS).
The KMT caucus said the premier’s responses were “evasive” and unsatisfactory, accusing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration of being weak when facing Japan.
“I am disappointed with [the government] in that it does not dare to say that Okinotori is a reef. And why did Lin say [in the report] that Taiwan is ‘willing’ to engage in dialogue with Japan? Is Japan ‘willing’ to do that? If it is, why is it not stated in the report?” KMT Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) asked.
KMT Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏) fumed over Lin’s statement that whether Okinotori is a reef has to be determined by the CLCS, saying: “What if the international ruling never comes?”
“And the fact is, the CLCS actually does not deliver rulings on EEZs,” she said. “We now only need a simple answer to the question of whether our fishermen can enter the 200-nautical-mile region of Okinotori.”
Ridiculing Lin’s claim that it the UN is required to determine whether Okinotori is a reef, KMT Legislator Lee Yan-hsiu (李彥秀) asked: “Are we to ask the UN to decide whether we are a country as well?”
The KMT lawmakers also criticized the premier for bringing up “risk evaluations” as they said that it means the import of US pork would in the end be allowed after all.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS