Top officials of the Presidential Office and the PFP reached a consensus yesterday that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) will meet within one week to discuss the country's economic development and other important issues.
"The earliest possible date for their meeting may be Oct. 20," Secretary General to the President Chen Shih-meng (
"They will exchange views on the country's overall development, and especially discuss how to revive the economy. Their meeting will be partly open to the media and partly in private to allow them express certain ideas privately," he said.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The top aide to the president said that Chen attaches importance to the opportunity of having direct talks with Soong because it is a good way to create a consensus between the government and opposition parties.
"Taiwan needs to eliminate the difference in opinions between the political parties in order to draw on the collective wisdom and absorb all useful ideas for guiding the government to make policy," he said.
Chen said that the meeting with Soong would be the first step for the president to listen to all party leaders, including KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Chung also told the media that the PFP will respect the Presidential Office's arrangements, but he stressed that the Chen-Soong meeting is not exactly the "political parties' summit" the president has in mind.
"Chairman Soong just simply hopes to deliver the real voice from the grass roots of the country to the head of the state," he said.
Chung added that the decision on whether to attend the president's party leader summit should be discussed later and that for the time being the PFP has no suggestions for other political parties.
Soong told reporters yesterday that he is preparing a report about the PFP's views on social problems that do not necessarily fall under the rubric of any party line.
"The most important task for the country is the economic issue and cross-strait relations," Soong said. "Taiwan should stand firm on the country's position, especially in developing the economy and consider citizens' maximum interests."
"Just like Germany and France, both of which strongly support the US-led anti-terrorist campaign, and both of which maintain their own foreign policy," he added.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
RSS