A volunteer association that will provide legal services to people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait will be launched on Tuesday under the auspices of the Straits Exchange Foundation, officials said yesterday.
The association is composed of 23 lawyers who have been practicing law for more than four years and will provide free consultation on a variety of disputes stemming from cross-strait exchanges, the foundation officials said.
The Straits Exchange Foundation is a semi-official organization that helps mediate cross-strait exchanges along with its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait.
Foundation President Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) made the remarks at the group's board meeting yesterday. Chang, who took over the position after the death of Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫) in June, was elected chairman yesterday.
Chang said that enhancing service for the public has been his most important task since he took the job.
"We established a service center in August and an association of financial advisers in September to provide consultation to Taiwanese businessmen who have investments in China," Chang said. "Now, the establishment of this volunteer association will help people who are in need of legal assistance."
Given the different legal systems and enforcement methods in Taiwan and China, people on both sides often suffer unnecessary losses due to unfamiliarity with appropriate laws, Chang said.
He said he hoped the volunteer association will help people avoid such misfortune.
Meanwhile, Chang appealed to opposition legislators to restore NT$100 million (US$3 million) to the foundation's budget for next year so that its operations can run smoothly.
The budget was slashed by opposition legislators in a preliminary review last month, and will be put to a final review after today's polls.
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