President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday promised not to sacrifice the rights of workers in exchange for a better economic performance, adding that the government will devote more effort to addressing unemployment issues.
“With limited natural resources, Taiwan should focus on developing its human resources. In other words, Taiwan would not have such achievements without its labor labor. We definitely cannot sacrifice the rights of workers for a better economic performance,” he said in a post on his Facebook page.
Following a meeting with representatives from eight labor associations on Friday, Ma said the groups expressed concerns about the rising unemployment rate, especially among the younger generation, and that the groups expected the government to create more employment opportunities for young people.
Ma said the increasing numbers of students studying at universities and colleges in Taiwan, changing employment conditions and the imbalance between demand and supply of talent for industries contributed to the increasing unemployment rate among young people.
Ma said the government will launch a “industry college” program that will invite corporations to offer job training courses to students.
The government will also enhance career development courses or job training programs to strike a balance between demand and supply for industry ready workers, he added.
Under the proposed 12-year education plan, students who enroll in vocational high schools will not have to pay tuition fees, regardless of their families’ income starting next year, while a NT$1.48 million (US$49,000) annual income threshold is set for high-school students.
“We will give more subsidies to vocational school students in an effort to attract more talent to the vocational sphere, so that traditional industries and small businesses can find the talent they need,” he said.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
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