The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would not rush through bills mandating transportation infrastructure development on the east coast before the legislature goes on leave in July, KMT Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) said on Wednesday.
The party has proposed three bills that would require the government to expand the high-speed rail to the east coast, build an expressway linking Hualien and Taitung counties, and extend the east-west Shuishalian Freeway (Freeway No. 6) to Hualien from Nantou County.
The Democratic Progressive Party has criticized the proposal as a prohibitively expensive “money pit.”
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
Environmental advocates have also expressed concern that the proposed timeline of 10 years would not leave enough time to conduct thorough environmental impact assessments.
KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) earlier said the party would seek to pass the bills before the legislature goes on leave on July 16.
However, media have reported that opinions within the KMT are split on the issue.
Lee, who serves as director of the KMT’s Culture and Communications Committee, confirmed in a radio interview on Wednesday that many different opinions were shared during internal caucus discussions in recent days.
Fu’s conclusion was that the caucus would respect the views of its members and adjust the order of priority accordingly, she said.
From their experience passing legislative reform bills last week, the new legislators have learned about the legislative process and are concerned about which bills are raised in which committees, she said, adding that if they are not introduced properly, the whole party would take the blame.
For the three infrastructure bills, many party members support first evaluating finances, feasibility and environmental impact before proceeding, she said.
Lee also criticized the rough cost estimate of NT$2 trillion (US$61.82 billion) given by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, saying it was unfair to Hualien residents to not properly evaluate the projects before giving a number.
However, party members agree on the importance of getting expert endorsements and holding discussions before passing the bills, she added.
Speaking to reporters at the Legislative Yuan on Wednesday, KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said it might take years to figure out the budget and estimate environmental impact of the high-speed rail and Freeway No. 6 projects.
However, the Hualien-Taitung expressway project has already been proven feasible by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications at an estimated cost of NT$200 billion, so it might make more sense to discuss the projects separately, he added.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
RSS