While the New Power Party (NPP) caucus had proposed constitutional amendments, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday said that constitutional reform is a “false issue” because amending the Constitution has been made almost impossible, and only establishing a new constitution altogether would help Taiwan.
“Constitutional amendment is a false issue, because amendments passed in 2005 made it almost impossible to amend the Constitution,” TSU spokeswoman Chou Ni-an (周倪安) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
“According to constitutional amendments [passed in 2005], endorsements from one-quarter of the legislators, or 29 seats, are required to propose a constitutional amendment, three-quarters of the legislators, or 85 seats, must attend the meeting [to propose an amendment] and three-quarters of those who attend the meeting, or 64 seats, must agree to the proposal,” Chou said. “After the amendment proposal passed the first phase, it would be put to a public referendum within six months after its proposal.”
For the amendment proposal to pass the referendum, 50 percent of the total number of eligible voters must vote “yes,” Chou said.
Chou said that as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds an absolute majority in the legislature, the party should help to revise the Referendum Act (公民投票法) to lower the threshold for referendums on constitutional amendments.
“The TSU would then work with civil society to push for creating a new constitution,” she said.
TSU Department of Social Movements director Chang Chao-lin (張兆林) said that while the party supports constitutional amendments proposed by the NPP to lower the voting age from 20 to 18 and abolish the Taiwan Provincial Government, “they [the NPP] overlooked the high threshold passed in the seventh constitutional reform [in 2005].”
Chang said that the majority of Taiwanese voted for the more Taiwan-oriented DPP because they expected the party to create a better environment for Taiwan to become a new and independent nation.
“Creating a new Constitution through a referendum is the best way to keep Taiwan independent, protect the people’s rights and fight against China’s ambitions on Taiwan,” Chang said. “We should not waste time on impossible constitutional reform.”
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
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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