An overhaul of the "small three links" can now begin after the passage of amendments to cross-strait laws, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
"The MAC was ready to undertake an overall review of the small three links once lawmakers approved amendments to the Statute Governing the Relations between the People of Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (
The amended cross-strait regulations completed the legal basis for the "small three links," referring to direct transportation between Kinmen, Matsu and China, inaugurated on December 13, 2000 in accordance with the Regulation on Offshore Development (
The "small three links" should return to the jurisdiction of the cross-strait statute after the finalizing of legal requirements in the amended regulations, Chen told reporters in a regular news briefing.
Policy modifications would be made following public hearings on current schedules for public and goods transportation, Chen said.
The MAC hoped to upgrade the status of the links to a cross-strait exchange last year, while the current approaches focuses merely on the development of Kinmen and Matsu.
Constructions of offshore islands must tie in the development projects of Taiwan. The operation of the links could further the prosperity of Kinmen and Matsu only when it plays a supplementary role to promote local land and construction projects and business incentives of preferential duties, Chen explained.
"The MAC would make adjustments to this policy on the proviso that the interests of Taiwan and offshore islands would be kept in balance and that domestic security and public order would be safeguarded," Chen said.
Public hearings for the assessment, which would be held both in Taiwan and on Kinmen and Matsu, would commence as soon as next week, Chen said.
But the MAC insisted that the series of islands falling within Penghu County would be excluded from the new rules.
"Applications from Penghu for such exchanges with China should be handled as a special case since the nature of relations between Penghu and China is different to those between Kinmen, Matsu and China," Chen said.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
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