Starting in Taipei today, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) is visiting 19 sites that have been proposed as possible new locations for the Legislative Yuan.
You yesterday thanked the local governments, saying that he would assess the viability of each location.
The building that houses the Legislative Yuan has for years been fraught with problems, which prompted You to establish a committee that would propose a solution.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
All proposals are to be discussed by party representatives before a decision is reached.
Relocating the legislature might take a decade or two, but it “has to start somewhere,” You said, adding that he hopes to get opinions and professional assessments from every sector.
You and committee convener Lin Jou-min (林洲民) yesterday explained their location search-and-selection process to reporters.
Over the past 30 years, 15 locations have been proposed, You said, adding that rebuilding on the current site was one of them.
Five of the proposed locations are in Taipei: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the 202nd Arsenal and Joint Logistics Command, Huashan 1914 Creative Park, the former Air Force Command Headquarters and the Huaguang Community, he said.
You said he welcomed four recent proposals from Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲): the Taipei Military Police building, the Taipei Reserve Command, the vehicle tow yard in Wanhua District (萬華) and the Chientan Youth Activity Center.
You plans to visit the New Taipei City Government on Thursday next week, followed by the Taichung City Government, the Changhua County Government and the Yilan County Government.
You said he would keep an open mind and ask a lot of questions.
This is not the first time that moving or rebuilding the legislature has been discussed, as there was a proposal in 1990 to move the legislature to the now-defunct Huashan Station.
The proposal was passed in 1992, but then abandoned because the budget was cut by the next legislature.
In 1999, the former Air Force Command Headquarters was proposed and a special budget was passed for the project.
That plan also fell through after the Taipei City Council opposed urban development changes and disaster relief became the priority following the 921 Earthquake.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
BACK TO WORK? Prosecutors said they are considering filing an appeal, while the Hsinchu City Government said it has applied for Ann Kao’s reinstatement as mayor The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months. The verdict acquitted Kao of the corruption charge, but found her guilty of causing a public official to commit document forgery. The High Prosecutors’ Office said it is reviewing the ruling and considering whether to file an appeal. The Taipei District Court in July last year sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for contravening the Anti-Corruption
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION? The premier said that being toppled by the legislature for defending the Constitution would be a democratic badge of honor for him Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced that the Cabinet would not countersign the amendments to the local revenue-sharing law passed by the Legislative Yuan last month. Cho said the decision not to countersign the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) was made in accordance with the Constitution. “The decision aims to safeguard our Constitution,” he said. The Constitution stipulates the president shall, in accordance with law, promulgate laws and issue mandates with the countersignature of the head of the Executive Yuan, or with the countersignatures of both the head of the Executive Yuan and ministers or
RSS