The Cabinet plans to minimize the budget for the symbolic Taiwan Provincial Government, Premier William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday.
Lai made the remarks during a question-and-answer session with New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
Lim showed Lai a screen grab from the introduction page of the provincial government’s English-language Web site, which refers to Taiwan as a “province,” which he said is confusing.
He asked Lai whether it is necessary to grant the agency, along with the Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council and the Fujian Provincial Government, a yearly budget of nearly NT$300 million (US$10.28 million), which he said is “wasteful,” considering that their work of giving awards, holding conferences, and promoting culture and traditions can also be done by the central or local governments.
While the Executive Yuan is not authorized to abolish the provincial government, which was set up according to the Constitution, he hopes that the provincial government’s budget could be minimized, Lai said.
The budget earmarked for the provincial government for the next fiscal year is to be decreased, and it would only be granted funding to perform necessary tasks, such as running service centers in Kinmen and Lienchiang counties, Lai said.
Asked whether he believes constitutional reform is important, the premier said that he believes that it is and pledged to move the task forward during Cabinet-level meetings.
Lim also asked Lai to address the issue of land allegedly occupied by former vice president Lien Chan’s (連戰) father, Lien Chen-tung (連震東), when he took over the Jen Chi Hospital from the Japanese colonial government, which he said has infringed upon nearby residents’ right to accommodation.
Rather than making the hospital in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) a public foundation like it was during the Japanese colonial era, Lien Chen-tung, who was an official in charge of taking over facilities left behind by the Japanese government in Taipei after World War II, in 1945 privatized and occupied it, Lim said.
The land Lien Chen-tung allegedly took covers about 99,174m2, which is still controlled by the Lien family, he said.
Lim said he tried to search for any transaction records following the transfer of the hospital, but all he could find was an official document that showed that the hospital had apparently been occupied by the Lien family.
More than 1,000 residents from about 300 households adjacent to the hospital live in dilapidated houses, but the hospital’s management has allegedly told residents who want to initiate an urban renewal project to either make a large donation to the hospital in exchange for its consent to carry out a project or accept urban renewal plans proposed by the hospital, which contain terms that are unfavorable to residents, Lim said.
The hospital’s bullying of residents threatens their safety, he said.
Lim asked Lai how the Cabinet would deal with assets illegally obtained by individuals or organizations that do not represent any political party, as they are not covered by the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例).
Lai said that he would instruct responsible agencies to investigate the case and report to Lim.
The hospital, as a private foundation, should uphold civic ethics and help residents solve accommodation problems before the investigation is complete, the premier said.
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
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