The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) plans to collect signatures on Saturday and Sunday at 159 locations nationwide in support of a referendum to overturn the government’s decision to allow imports of pork containing ractopamine residue, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang(江啟臣) said in Taipei yesterday.
The lifting of the ban on imports of pork containing traces of the animal feed additive took effect on Friday last week.
At the KMT’s first weekly Central Standing Committee meeting of the year, Chiang accused the Democratic Progressive Party of ignoring consumers’ and the food industry’s concerns, as well as the pressure felt by domestic hog farmers since the policy came into effect.
Photo: CNA
He said that staff at the KMT’s headquarters and local chapters are ready to collect signatures over the weekend, after which, the party would continue to gather signatures by setting up booths in crowded areas, he said.
People would also be able to sign the petition at the offices of the KMT’s elected representatives and local chapters, as well as participating shops, Chiang said.
The party is in the process of building a Web site for the campaign, where people would be able to download a copy of the petition form, look for drop-off locations and receive regular updates, he said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The referendum proposed by the KMT would ask whether people agree that the government should impose a complete ban on the importation of meat, offal and related products from pigs that have been given ractopamine.
The proposal is officially headed by KMT Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲).
The KMT launched its “food safety” referendum campaign on Sept. 6 at its National Congress in Taipei, after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) announced on Aug. 28 that the government would ease restrictions on imports of US pork containing traces of ractopamine.
Now in the second stage of the petition process, the KMT must submit nearly 290,000 valid signatures, or no less than 1.5 percent of the total number of voters in the most recent presidential election, in line with the Referendum Act (公民投票法), for its referendum question to be put to a vote.
The KMT aims to gather at least 500,000 signatures, Lin told a news conference on Tuesday, adding that this was because some signatures might be invalidated.
To be able to hold the referendum in August, the KMT must submit the petition forms to the Central Election Commission for review by March 21, he said.
Under the act, Aug. 28 is the next possible date for a referendum in Taiwan.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai