Sun Yat-sen School, the 800 Heroes veterans’ group, the National Civil Servant Association and other groups yesterday said they would promote a referendum to oppose President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) plan to cut pensions for retired civil servants, public-school teachers and military personnel.
To push through its policy on pension reform, the government has vilified the nation’s civil servants, public-school teachers and military personnel, school principal Chang Ya-chung (張亞中) said.
The school and other groups plan to put forward a referendum proposal after the Lunar New Year, which they hope would collect enough signatures to be run alongside the nine-in-one elections at the end of this year, Chang added.
The government should pay the amount promised at the time of hiring, which employees deserve “based on legitimate expectations,” he said, adding that the government’s pension reform should not apply to those hired before the changes took place.
If the government wants to change its contract with its employees, it should hold negotiations, as an employer and employees would be required to do under the government’s draft amendment to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) said.
The potential bankruptcy of the pension fund should not be a reason to cut pensions, Chiu said, adding that those responsible for managing the fund should bear the responsibility of the bankruptcy.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been using its majority to force through all kinds of bills, often disregarding standard procedures, National Civil Servant Association director Harry Lee (李來希) said, adding that since the legislature no longer represents the public, referendums must be used to correct its policies.
Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷), a retired lieutenant general and spokesman for the 800 Heroes group, said if the government tries to push through a bill to cut military pensions, the group would consider holding more protests.
Military personnel do not want to fight the government over pensions, but how can a government be so tight-fisted with its military and still expect them to give up their lives for the nation, he asked.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
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