Nine Taipei City councilors from across party lines yesterday announced an alliance to promote gender equality and said they would monitor and question Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on policies concerning LGBT rights, independent Taipei City Councilor Chiu Wei-chieh (邱威傑) said.
The other councilors are the New Power Party’s Lin Ying-meng (林穎孟), Lin Liang-chun (林亮君) and Huang Yu-fen (黃郁芬); the Social Democratic Party’s Miao Po-ya (苗博雅); the Democratic Progressive Party’s Wang Min-sheng (王閔生), Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and Wang Shih-chien (王世堅); and the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Dai Hsi-chin (戴錫欽).
As the final version of the Executive Yuan’s “enforcement act of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748,” which would recognize marriages between two people of the same sex who are at least 18 years old, is expected to go into effect on May 24, the alliance said it would make sure the city government protected those rights.
With Ko to report on his administration’s performance tomororw, Lin Ying-meng would ask him whether the household registration administration is ready to cope with the new regulations, as well as other gender equality policies, such as setting up baby changing stations in men’s public restrooms, she said.
Three alliance members were elected from the Daan-Wenshan (大安-文山) constituency, which is usually viewed as having more voters with traditional values, Miao said.
This indicates that support for gender equality is not “poison to votes” and more politicians should speak up to protect gender equality, she said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3