Despite the setbacks the "small three links" policy has met, the Cabinet's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (
Premier Chang Chung-hsiung (張俊雄), however, said that the proposal to allow gambling in Kinmen and Matsu had not been finalized.
"We will see how the `small three links' policy goes before any discussion of other proposals [for construction on Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu islands] are made," Chang said yesterday afternoon.
Chang added that the Cabinet would make a conclusion on the proposal in the near future once related government agencies resolved their disagreements about it.
No further discussion on the issue took place at yesterday's weekly Cabinet meeting.
The research commission's chairman, Lin Chia-cheng (
"Taiwan can use Hong Kong and Macau as examples, and turn Kinmen and Matsu into another `mini Hong Kong,'" Lin was quoted as saying yesterday morning.
Lin said that the "small three links" policy for Kinmen and Matsu was a top priority for the commission and would be regularly reviewed.
Lin went on to say that it was time for the Cabinet to start evaluating the feasibility of opening up gambling on Kinmen and Matsu, adding that the government should further explain its "small three links" policy to local residents on the island so that they could better benefit from its potential.
KMT legislator from Kinmen, Chen Ching-pao (
"Many Kinmen residents have strongly opposed such plans," Chen told the Taipei Times.
Chen added that "gambling would definitely have a negative impact on the former-battlefield districts."
Chen urged the DPP government to consult with residents of Kinmen and Matsu before drafting any measures to follow up implementation of the "small three links" policy.
Chen pointed out that as religious groups could soon be able to travel directly from Taiwan to China -- if approved by the Mainland Affairs Council -- Kinmen and Matsu could benefit from being stopover points for pilgrims.
He said that the government should create opportunities for religious adherents to stay overnight, which would boost their expenditures while staying on the islands and thus benefit the local economy.
The International Industrial Talents Education Special (INTENSE) Program to attract foreigners to study and work in Taiwan will provide scholarships and a living allowance of up to NT$440,000 per person for two years beginning in August, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) told a meeting of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee yesterday. Pan was giving an update on the program’s implementation, a review of universities’ efforts to recruit international students and promotion of the Taiwan Huayu Bilingual Exchanges of Selected Talent (BEST) program. Each INTENSE Program student would be awarded a scholarship of up to NT$100,000 per year for up to
Singapore yesterday swore in Lawrence Wong (黃循財) as the city-state’s new prime minister in a ceremony broadcast live on television after Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) stepped down following two decades in office. Wong, formerly deputy prime minister, was inaugurated at the Istana government office shortly after 8pm to become the second person outside the Lee family to lead the nation. “I ... do solemnly swear that I will at all times faithfully discharge my duties as prime minister according to law, and to the best of my knowledge and ability, without fear or favor, affection or ill-will. So help me God,” the
BASIC OPERATIONS: About half a dozen navy ships from both countries took part in the days-long exercise based on the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea An unpublicized joint military exercise between Taiwan and the US in the Pacific Ocean last month was carried out in accordance with an international code, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday. According to a Reuters report citing four unnamed sources, the two nations’ navies last month conducted joint drills in the Western Pacific. The drills were not made public at the time, but “about half-a-dozen navy ships from both sides, including frigates and supply and support vessels, participated in the days-long exercises,” Reuters reported, citing the sources. The drills were designed to practice “basic” operations such as communications, refueling and resupplies,
‘MONEY PIT’: The KMT’s more than NT$2 trillion infrastructure project proposals for eastern Taiwan lack professional input and financial transparency, the DPP said The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday said it would ask the Executive Yuan to raise a motion to oppose the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus’ infrastructure proposals and prepare to file for a constitutional interpretation if the KMT-dominated legislature forces their passage. The DPP caucus described the three infrastructure plans for transportation links to eastern Taiwan proposed by the KMT as “three money pit projects” that would cost more than NT$2 trillion (US$61.72 billion). It would ask the Executive Yuan to oppose public projects that would drain state financial resources, DPP caucus secretary-general Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said. It would also file for