The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus yesterday made a last-ditch call to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
"We hope that Lien voices the nation's opposition to the `Anti-Secession' Law and asks the Chinese government to destroy all the missiles targeting us," DPP caucus whip Lai Ching-te (
Lien leaves today on an eight-day trip to China.
Lai had also asked Lien to address President Chen Shui-bian (
"If he calls President Chen `mister', he should do the same for Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤)," he said.
During the phone conversation yesterday, Lien addressed Chen as "Brother Shui-bian."
The term delivers a sense of respect in Mandarin.
Questioning the timing of Lien's visit, Lai said that he owes the public an explanation as to why the trip is being dubbed a "journey of peace."
"We are very curious about its true meaning," he said. "Is it a temporary and bogus peace because he will abandon Taiwan's sovereignty and sabotage the interests of the people of Taiwan, or is it genuine because it is based on equality and dignity, in which he will insist on safeguarding national sovereignty, the national interest, and freedom and democracy while talking with the Chinese authorities?"
Lai also urged Lien to ask his party and the KMT legislative caucus to re-open the door for cross-party negotiations and extend the legislative session to help pass significant bills, especially those concerning people's livelihoods.
"It just does not make sense for him to conduct a so-called `journey of peace' to China, while allowing his lawmakers to boycott government bills and refuse talks with the ruling party," he said.
DPP Legislator Jao Yung-ching (
The KMT and People First Party (PFP) caucuses withdrew from cross-party talks to protest an investigation into KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung's (江丙坤) trip to China. They have refused to return to the negotiation table unless the DPP makes "goodwill gestures."
Jao said that Lien owes the public an explanation as to what his mission is, and that he felt sorry for Lien's "sarcastic" and "disdainful" attitude toward reporting to the government about his visit.
Responding to the DPP's call to resume cross-party negotiations, six KMT and PFP lawmakers, calling themselves the "G6" or "good six" alliance, said that they would make an effort to help push the passage of "non-confidential" bills.
However, they said that blame for sluggish progress does not lie solely with the lawmaking body.
They called on the Executive Yuan to take a more pro-active approach in its attempt to pass bills that it deems important.
"Only if the Executive Yuan takes the initiative to cooperate and reconcile with opposition parties can the Legislative Yuan make progress," KMT Legislator John Wu (
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Residents have called on the Taipei City Government to reconsider its plan to demolish a four-decades-old pedestrian overpass near Daan Forest Park. The 42-year-old concrete and steel structure that serves as an elevated walkway over the intersection of Heping and Xinsheng roads is to be closed on Tuesday in preparation for demolition slated for completion by the end of the month. However, in recent days some local residents have been protesting the planned destruction of the intersection overpass that is rendered more poetically as “sky bridge” in Chinese. “This bridge carries the community’s collective memory,” said a man surnamed Chuang
FATALITIES: The storm claimed at least two lives — a female passenger in a truck that was struck by a falling tree and a man who was hit by a utility pole Workers cleared fallen trees and shop owners swept up debris yesterday after one of the biggest typhoons to hit the nation in decades claimed at least two lives. Typhoon Kong-rey was packing winds of 184kph when it slammed into eastern Taiwan on Thursday, uprooting trees, triggering floods and landslides, and knocking out power as it swept across the nation. A 56-year-old female foreign national died from her injuries after the small truck she was in was struck by a falling tree on Provincial Highway 14A early on Thursday. The second death was reported at 8pm in Taipei on Thursday after a 48-year-old man
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm earlier today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, in this year's Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am, the CWA said. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) with a 100km radius, it said. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA meteorologist Huang En-hung (黃恩宏) said. However, a more accurate forecast would be made on Wednesday, when Yinxing is