Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday urged the government to submit plans to create a ministry for maritime affairs within one year.
Additionally, a basic law governing maritime affairs should be passed by late next year, lawmakers Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆), Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) and Kolas Yotaka told a news conference at the legislature.
The measures are to help integrate maritime policy across sustainable development, research and sea tourism, they said.
Photo: Huang Hsu-lei, Taipei Times
Directorate-General of Personnel Management official Yang Hsiu-chen (楊秀珍) said the government is to complete a draft bill for review at the next session of the Legislative Yuan.
In June 2015, the legislature passed the Organization Act of the Ocean Affairs Council (海洋委員會組織法), which would have mandated the creation of the ocean affairs council in July last year.
However, the legislators who took office in March last year passed a resolution to suspend the council’s promulgation.
Lai, Chen and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖) laster proposed amendments to the law that would upgrade the ocean affairs council to a ministry-level organization.
Distributing responsibilities over environmental protection, tourism and other maritime issues to multiple agencies has the effect of diluting the government’s efforts, said Lai, a former Kaohsiung Marine Bureau director.
“On the day before World Oceans Day, I call on the Executive Yuan to accelerate the establishment of the ministry for maritime affairs; only a powerful, responsible agency can promote policies,” he said.
Lai said Indonesia and Sweden have a ministry-level agency to supervise maritime affairs, while Japan and Canada have a basic law governing oceanic issues.
As a maritime nation, Taiwan urgently needs a ministry of maritime affairs, Lai said.
Lawmakers suspended the council because they believe the President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) administration should have a ministry-level establishment overseeing seas, Lai said.
Kolas Yotaka said a maritime affairs ministry is symbolic of Taiwan’s identity as an independent state and would help many Aborigines who live by rivers and the ocean.
Calls to create a maritime affairs ministry have been raised many times over the past two decades, National Taiwan Ocean University Institute of Marine Affairs and Research Management dean Julia Huang (黃向文) said.
The fishing industry’s use of oceanic resources are poorly regulated and are misunderstood by the government, she said.
Ocean acidity levels and marine debris in the nation’s seas are not included in Environmental Protection Administration surveys, Huang said.
There are a large number of international laws regulating the use of the sea that the government has yet to implement, she said.
“Although Taiwan prides itself as a maritime nation, government organizations are poorly coordinated and communications between them is spotty,” she said.
“The public has gained more ocean awareness and there are many initiatives by private citizens to clean beaches or protect the ocean. The government should not fall behind the people’s lead. A ministry of maritime affairs should be created as soon as possible,” she added.
Greenpeace Taiwan oceans campaigner Yen Ning (顏寧) said the past two administrations had both affirmed the importance of the ocean, but did little to resolve the competing needs of resource use, conservation and development.
Taiwan should have a ministry of maritime affairs at the earliest possible time and the government should push for truly forward-looking policies, Yen said.
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
RSS