Whether former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should be allowed to visit Hong Kong next week is a highly difficult issue requiring political judgement, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Lin Cheng-yi (林正義) said yesterday, expressing confidence that Ma would not act against the Presidential Office’s pending decision.
Lin made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which discussed the potential impact of recent developments in East Asia on Taiwan and relevant countermeasures.
Fielding questions from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳), Lin said Ma’s application to make a one-day visit to Hong Kong on Wednesday is still being deliberated in accordance with the National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法).
The Presidential Office, the National Security Council and the Ministry of Justice are reviewing the application, Lin said.
“This is a highly difficult issue that requires political judgement and the process must be well-rounded,” Lin said, in response to Liu’s question about whether the government is leaning toward approving the application or rejecting it.
Lin said while President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration is still getting on track, he believes that government agencies would not wait until the last minute to If Ma is allowed to go, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong would ensure the dignity and security of the former president, he said.
“If Tsai’s government turns down Ma’s application, will Ma act against the decision and insist on going?” the lawmaker asked. “He certainly seems to have his mind set on going.”
Lin said he believes, as the former head of state for eight years, Ma should be fully aware of the law and the political sensitivity of the issue.
Ma is scheduled to attend the Society of Publishers in Asia Awards for Editorial Excellence ceremony, which is to be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. He is due to give a speech in English on cross-strait relations and developments in East Asia at the event.
However, Ma is required by the National Security Information Protection Act to obtain the approval of the government body he used to work for at least 20 days before departing on an international trip within three years after leaving office.
Separately, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said he did not rule out any possible outcomes before government agencies complete their evaluation of the application.
“As the government body where Ma used to work, the office does not have a fixed position or any inclinations on the matter,” Huang said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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