KMT heavyweights gathered yesterday for their weekly Central Standing Committee meeting to formulate the party's post-quake reconstruction blueprint.
During the meeting, Premier Vincent Siew (
Siew told participants that comprehensive reconstruction work would take three to five years to complete, but that the emergency decree announced by President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) last week will be in effect for six months. Therefore, he said, for the sake of expediting relief work, it is necessary to pass special legislation.
"In six months, after the emergency decree has been rescinded, progress on reconstruction may be slowed. Based on this consideration, I believe special legislation [to speed up the reconstruction work] is necessary," Siew said.
During the meeting, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
The statements followed Lee's instructions given during a news conference two days ago, when he said that once the emergency decree expires, the government could analyze the feasibility of passing special laws in light of the extraordinary situation.
KMT spokesman Huang Hwei-chen (
DPP legislature caucus leader Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), currently studying the post-quake experience in Kobe, Japan, said yesterday that he is glad to see the KMT following the same path as the DPP.
"We are delighted to see the KMT following our footsteps. The DPP caucus is going to propose our party's official version of such special laws on Friday, and we hope the cabinet could send over their version to the Legislature as soon as possible," Chen said.
In addition to special legislation, Vice President and KMT Vice-Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday also recommended four basic principles on how to deal with post-quake relief efforts.
"I hope the Executive Yuan will be as broad as possible in identifying the damage caused by earthquake, as simple as possible on administrative procedures, as preferential as possible on loans and as stringent as possible in investigating building contractors' responsibility," Lien said.
Meanwhile, Lien -- acting as the general commander of the relief work -- made a number of suggestions.
"Justice delayed is not justice," Lien said, expressing regret that prosecutors had so far failed to indict any building contractors.
"I strongly urge prosecutors to further investigate the actions of building contractors," he said.
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
INSURRECTION: The NSB said it found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday. In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies. Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information
BREAKTHROUGH: The US is making chips on par in yield and quality with Taiwan, despite people saying that it could not happen, the official said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has begun producing advanced 4-nanometer (nm) chips for US customers in Arizona, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, a milestone in the semiconductor efforts of the administration of US President Joe Biden. In November last year, the commerce department finalized a US$6.6 billion grant to TSMC’s US unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona. “For the first time ever in our country’s history, we are making leading edge 4-nanometer chips on American soil, American workers — on par in yield and quality with Taiwan,” Raimondo said, adding that production had begun in recent
Seven hundred and sixty-four foreigners were arrested last year for acting as money mules for criminals, with many entering Taiwan on a tourist visa for all-expenses-paid trips, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Saturday. Although from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26 last year, 26,478 people were arrested for working as money mules, the bureau said it was particularly concerned about those entering the country as tourists or migrant workers who help criminals and scammers pick up or transfer illegally obtained money. In a report, officials divided the money mules into two groups, the first of which are foreigners, mainly from Malaysia
RSS