Ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members yesterday welcomed a proposal by Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to hold a public debate on the referendum proposed by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), and also said that Ma should "make sure that the debate takes place this time."
"The KMT has gone back on its word several times on joining in a public debate, either initiated by itself or the DPP, so Ma needs to assure us that the debate he has proposed will come about," Taipei County Commissioner Su Tseng-chang (
"Members of political parties should not interpret laws according to their own inclinations. They are not authorized to defy the central government," Su said.
The commissioner, who also acts as national manager of the DPP's presidential campaign, said that, "When the president called the referendum in accordance with the power vested in him by the Referendum Law (
DPP campaign spokesman Wu Nei-jen (
DPP legislative leader Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said that the president's referendum clearly complies with the law, because Article 17 of the Referendum Law states that the president can initiate a referendum when the country faces external threats that could alter the nation's sovereignty.
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
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