A unanimous decision to slash all World League for Freedom and Democracy (WLFD) and Asian Pacific League for Freedom and Democracy (APLFD) budgets proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was reached during a meeting of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus for foreign and national defense.
The APLFD was formed as the Asian People’s Anti-Communist League in June 15, 1954, with members including the Republic of China (ROC), South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, then-South Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau and Japan’s Ryuku Islands.
In 1967, members of the APLFD founded the World Anti-Communist League, whose name was changed into the World League for Freedom and Democracy in 1990. The organization, in 1993, was recognized by the UN as an official non-governmental organization.
The DPP has since 2000 said that the WFLD was primarily a pan-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) organization that catered to KMT “fat cats,” and the DPP has tried unsuccessfully for years to cut the organizations’ budgets.
The DPP said neither organization contributed much to Taiwan’s international standing and both had a higher personnel expenses ratio than the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
The WLFD cost the nation NT$28 million (US$889,651) annually.
Some legislators said that the salary for WLFD president Yao Eng-chi (饒穎奇) exceeded that of a ministerial-level official, adding that the organization existed as a retirement house for elderly KMT members and should be abolished.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would make an official statement when the DPP legislative caucus entered the issue on the Legislative Yuan roster.
However, the ministry said slashing the WLFD budget might affect Taiwan’s number of official non-governmental organizations on the international scale, especially considering that the WLFD was an official member of the UN’s non-governmental organization branch.
Sources said that ministry officials, speaking under anonymity, tried to persuade the DPP legislature caucus to retain the personnel expenses budget.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
RSS