The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration of engaging in “premeditated murder” amid speculation that the government plans to lift the import ban on foods from five Japanese prefectures via an administrative order next week.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director Mao Chia-ching (毛嘉慶) told a news conference in Taipei that the government should abandon all plans to ease restrictions on food products manufactured in five prefectures near the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster.
The government held 10 public hearings on the matter from Saturday to Monday, but the proceedings were frequently disrupted by violent clashes between KMT and DPP politicians and supporters, who have since accused each other of causing the clashes.
Mao said that in defying public opinion on the matter, the DPP might have caved in to “Japanese pressure from an unknown source,” adding that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) might have conceded to lifting the ban because of a “clandestine deal.”
Citing a local news report panning the government, Mao said that lifting the ban would be tantamount to “premeditated murder” and urged the DPP administration to refrain from “force feeding” the public cancer-causing food.
Mao said Taiwan has no reason to ease import restrictions when South Korea continues to ban all food imports from nine prefectures near the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant.
“Rumor has it that the DPP will act against public opinion and try to forcibly lift the import ban via an administrative order next week. Is this true or not?” Mao said.
“The DPP had not given any thought to taking care of Taiwanese farmers or bolstering the nation’s agriculture, forestry, fisheries and livestock industries, but it has taken upon itself Japan’s responsibility to do so. The DPP has no overall governing strategy and it has lied to its voters,” he added.
Mao said that KMT headquarters plans to lead a group of party lawmakers, city and county councilors, and local chapter conveners to rally in front of the Executive Yuan on Friday to demand an explanation from the government.
Another deputy director of the KMT’s culture and communications committee, Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷), repeated the allegations that the governments of Taiwan and Japan have reached a clandestine deal, saying that the food imports could have been a concession in exchange for something the government wishes to remain secret.
“If there is quid pro quo, the Tsai administration is bad; if there is no quid pro quo, then it is stupid. If there is quid pro quo and the administration thinks it could be hidden, then it is both bad and stupid,” Hung said.
Additional reporting by CNA
EIGHT KILLED: Three of the four juvenile victims were children of the man suspected of setting the fire at the tire repair shop after a family dispute Four of the eight people killed in a fire in Hsinchu City on Wednesday night were children and the other four were adults who died while trying to rescue the children from the second floor of the burning building, the city’s Fire Bureau said yesterday. Fire Bureau First Corps commander Chang Chih-chih (張智智) told a news conference that the fire at Zheng Yi Tire Repair Shop on Dongda Road might have been intentionally set by the owner’s son, Chen Yen-hsiang (陳彥翔), who earlier had an argument with other family members. Chen allegedly bought gasoline and lit a fire near four motorcycles inside
FIFA World Cup host Qatar has corrected an online application form that listed Taiwan as part of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Following the ministry’s protest on Wednesday, “Taiwan” replaced “Taiwan, Province of China” on a dropdown menu on the Web site to apply for a Hayya Card, an identification card all World Cup spectators are required to obtain, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said. “We express our appreciation to the event organizers for their swift response in making the correction and safeguarding the rights of our nation’s fans,” she added. The card also serves as an entry visa for
ALARM GROWS: US officials are concerned that China’s claim that the Taiwan Strait is an internal waterway is a deliberate effort to muddy the legal status of Taiwan US President Joe Biden’s administration has decided to reject a vague new assertion by China that the Taiwan Strait is not “international waters” and is increasingly concerned the stance could result in more frequent challenges at sea for Taiwan, people familiar with the matter said. Chinese officials have made such remarks repeatedly in meetings with US counterparts over the past few months. In the past, while China regularly protested US military moves in the Taiwan Strait, the legal status of the waters was not a regular talking point in meetings with US officials. The timing of the assertion is causing alarm within the
NEW TRAVEL REGIME: The CECC advised people to stay put in between quarantine and self-disease prevention, but said that they could apply for a location change Inbound travelers who need to change locations for the four-day self-disease prevention period following their three-day quarantine must apply with their local government, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. The “one person per household” principle would remain in place under the new “3+4” quarantine policy, which was implemented yesterday, the center said. More than 4,500 incoming travelers were expected yesterday, including more than 980 people who entered Taiwan in the early morning, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), the CECC’s acting spokesman and medical response division deputy head. Lo said many people had asked the CECC whether
RSS