The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus is weighing whether to hold a protest on Thursday next week against the importation of pork containing ractopamine, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said yesterday.
Chiang made the remarks in response to media queries on whether the KMT would stage a protest that day at the Legislative Yuan.
The KMT caucus is to assess the possibility, he said on the sidelines of an event organized by the KMT’s Kaohsiung chapter to celebrate the 126th anniversary of the Revive China Society, a predecessor of the KMT, adding that the party would respect the caucus’ decision.
Whether a protest is to be held would also depend on the attitude of the Democratic Progressive Party, Chiang said.
More than three months have passed since the government on Aug. 28 announced that Taiwan would lift a ban on the importation of US pork containing residues of the animal feed additive from Jan. 1, he said, adding that “clearly, people have not accepted the Executive Yuan’s explanation.”
Asked about National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) earlier this week attending a dinner at the residence of the Japanese representative to Taiwan, Chiang said that while diplomatic exchanges are normal, there is speculation among the public as to whether the meeting had something to do with a ban on food imports from five Japanese prefectures after the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster.
Koo, Wang and the Presidential Office should respond to those concerns, Chiang said.
Chiang has repeatedly called for a televised debate with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on the policy of US pork imports.
In a post on Facebook yesterday, Chiang said there was not enough communication about the decision, and that the president and opposition parties needed to discuss the policy at a debate.
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