The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday said that it has collected more than 500,000 signatures supporting each of its proposals to hold national referendums on imported pork containing trace amounts of ractopamine and when referendums should take place.
KMT Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) is the lead proponent of a referendum that would ask voters if they agree that the government should impose a complete ban on imports of meat, offal and related products from pigs that were given the animal feed additive.
The KMT first raised its “anti-ractopamine pork” or “food safety” referendum proposal in September last year, days after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Aug. 28 announced that the government would ease restrictions on imports of US pork containing ractopamine residue and beef from cattle aged 30 months or older. The policy went into effect on Jan. 1.
Photo: CNA
The other referendum question, initiated by KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), would ask voters if they agree that referendums should be held on the same day as nationwide elections if an election is scheduled to take place within six months of a proposal to hold a referendum being approved.
The KMT on Jan. 9 launched the second phase of its signature drive for the referendums, Chiang told a news conference in Taipei.
In less than a month, it has collected more than 500,000 signatures for each of the two proposals, he said.
They crossed the 500,000 mark on Friday, he said, adding that the number of signatories is expected to grow.
The speed at which the KMT was able to collect signatures was “very rare” for referendum campaigns, Chiang said.
He said that the petition forms represented the public’s dissatisfaction with the Democratic Progressive Party’s “neglect of food safety and inconsistent [stance] on direct democracy.”
He urged people to vote on Aug. 28 to decide on food safety standards and “to make the final decision for our next generation.”
Aug. 28 is the next possible date for a referendum under the Referendum Act (公民投票法).
The KMT would review and tabulate the signatures, and expects to submit them to the Central Election Commission in about a month, the party said in a statement.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
OIL RIGS: China is using ‘strategic ambiguity within a focused warfare strategy’ to normalize encroachments and force acceptance of new norms, a lawmaker said The government must boost capacity for ships to patrol islands under its control in the South China Sea and join with friendly nations to file a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice in response to China’s oil rig activity near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), a lawmaker and security experts said on Thursday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) said that reports of Chinese oil rigs near Pratas Island show that Beijing has expanded construction efforts in the South China Sea. Previous activity has resulted in disputes with Vietnam and the Philippines, and now Beijing has taken up “gray zone”
RSS