Lawmakers yesterday voted to schedule a Dec. 31 review of an anti-infiltration bill proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
At a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Procedure Committee, the DPP caucus filed a motion to schedule the review for Dec. 31, which was put to a vote after objections by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers. The motion passed 9-2.
The DPP’s proposed bill last month advanced to a second reading and additional cross-caucus discussions.
The legislation calls for those who disrupt social order under the command or at the behest of “infiltration sources” to face a prison term of up to seven years or a fine of NT$5 million (US$165,508).
The 12-article bill would prohibit donations to political parties, influencing elections, proposing the recall of a government official or launching a referendum on the instructions or with the financial support of an infiltration source.
The legislature is today to enter a recess until Dec. 30 and call one legislative meeting on Dec. 31 to review the bill.
An extraordinary session could be held after the Jan. 11 presidential and legislative elections to review the general budget for the upcoming fiscal year, DPP caucus director-general Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said.
Lawmakers yesterday also approved an amendment to the Organization Act of the National Security Bureau (國家安全局組織法) stipulating that the bureau’s budget must be listed under other government agencies and reviewed by the legislature.
Relevant agencies should list the bureau’s budgetary items in the form of a black budget, the amendment says.
The Executive Yuan, which sponsored the amendment, said that other nations or hostile forces could discern the plans of the intelligence agency by obtaining information on its budget.
To keep the bureau’s work safe from undue interference and protect the safety of intelligence personnel, the bureau’s budgetary items should be listed under other agencies, which would be conducive to safeguarding classified information and reduce risks of intelligence being gathered by external forces, the Cabinet said.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
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