The legislative caucuses yesterday agreed to start the new legislative session on Friday next week, and have Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) give an administrative report and answer lawmakers’ questions.
Members of the four caucuses convened to discuss the new session’s starting date.
The Constitution stipulates that a legislative session must begin within a month of lawmakers being inaugurated, meaning that the new session must begin before Feb. 27, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said, adding that they chose from three dates: Tuesday next week, Friday next week and Feb. 25.
Photo: Lin Liang-sheng, Taipei Times
Friday is the most suitable time, as the Executive Yuan is scheduled to sponsor a special relief bill for the COVID-19 outbreak in China, Ker said.
New Power Party (NPP) caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said that if the session were to start on Tuesday next week, agencies drafting the bill could fine-tune it according to lawmakers’ suggestions during the question-and-answer session.
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus whip Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶) echoed Chiu’s remarks.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said that starting the session on Tuesday would give lawmakers more time to review the proposal.
Ker said that agencies tasked with disease prevention are busy and asked the other caucuses to give them time to monitor the situation.
KMT caucus secretary-general Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said that his caucus agreed to the session starting on Friday on the condition that the Executive Yuan delivers a special written report on efforts to contain COVID-19.
Ker commended Chiang’s proposal, saying that it is the Executive Yuan’s duty to add content on disease prevention efforts to its report, which was delivered to the legislature before the outbreak.
Su should set aside time in his oral report to talk about the government’s efforts to combat the disease, Ker said.
After the TPP and NPP caucuses accepted Chiang’s proposal, Legislative Speaker Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) announced the new session’s starting date, and that Su would give an administrative report that is to include a presentation on efforts to contain COVID-19.
The caucuses are to issue a joint statement on that day to urge the WHO to allow Taiwan’s participation in the world health body as COVID-19 spreads globally.
Each caucus is to appoint a representative to discuss the wording of the resolution, which is to be signed by all caucuses on Thursday next week and issued during a plenary session the following day.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
FLOURISHING: Taiwan’s economic strength, shared values with allies, and cooperation in education and other fields should bolster diplomatic relations, an envoy to the UN said Guatemala, Haiti and the Marshall Islands would continue to support Taiwan to become an observer in the WHO by foregrounding its edge in healthcare, Guatemalan Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Jose Francisco Cali Tzay said at a meeting with Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Han met with delegates of Taiwan’s allied countries at the UN alongside Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Chien-chi (林倩綺), Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) and Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Liu Shu-pin (劉書彬). Attendees included Tzay, Haitian Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Ann-Kathryne Lassegue and Marshall Islands
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
RSS