One of two planned trial voyages to test the "small three links" has been cancelled, a KMT lawmaker said yesterday.
Chen Ken-teh (
The lawmaker said that Shi Hwei-yow (許惠祐), secretary-general of the Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF), called him on Tuesday to say that MAC Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) had ordered preparations for the trip halted.
"I don't know what Tsai's motive is. Does this indicate there was a U-turn in our policy? We've discussed this plan for weeks," Chen said.
Chen said Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
Taiwan announced on Dec. 13 plans to open direct postal, transportation and trade links between the outlying island groups of Kinmen (金門) and Matsu (馬祖) and China's Xiamen (廈門) and Fuzhou (福州) cities beginning on Jan. 1. Because, Beijing has offered little response to the proposal so far, however, two groups of lawmakers proposed trial voyages to ease public concern about unpredictable responses from China resulting from Taiwan's decision.
Both groups are set to depart on Dec. 28. A group led by KMT lawmaker Chen Ching-pao (陳清寶), who has directly contacted Xiamen authorities, appears to be encountering less obstacles. By comparison, the trip organized by Chen Ken-teh, a member of the legislature's Committee of Transportation and Communications, stalled because Chen sought assistance from the SEF, Taiwan's semi-official mechanism to deal with cross-strait relations.
Shi Hwei-yow told the Taipei Times that Tsai had indeed made the phone call to tell him to put Chen's documents aside temporarily, and that he could not send the relevant papers to China without an approval from MAC.
But MAC said in a press conference yesterday evening that there was a misunderstanding, adding that the documents requested were ready. MAC officials also said they would notify the SEF right away to contact the Chinese government if Chen still plans to make the trip.
"How can I have enough time to prepare for the necessary papers now that Tsai has delayed my plan? I just don't understand why she made that phone call to Shi Hwei-yow, telling him to discontinue the proceeding," he said.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hualien and Taitung counties declared today a typhoon day, while schools and offices in parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties are also to close Typhoon Ragasa was forecast to hit its peak strength and come closest to Taiwan from yesterday afternoon through today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Taiwan proper could be out of the typhoon’s radius by midday and the sea warning might be lifted tonight, it added. CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said that Ragasa’s radius had reached the Hengchun Peninsula by 11am yesterday and was expected to hit Taitung County and Kaohsiung by yesterday evening. Ragasa was forecast to move to Taiwan’s southern offshore areas last night and to its southwestern offshore areas early today, she added. As of 8pm last night,
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