The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday said it is considering requiring civil servants at all levels to report visits to China or its territories, expanding a requirement that applies to those of upper ranks.
The council is in talks with agencies and is to launch the initiative after reaching a consensus, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) told a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee.
Civil servants above “rank 11” are required to ask for permission from the Ministry of the Interior to travel to China. Those below the rank are only required to apply for leave procedures within their agency, without controls on travel to China, Hong Kong or Macau, Chiu said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Given the lack of control mechanisms in place, “some may not be following the rules so strictly,” he said.
As this is an important question, the regulations might be amended so that civil servants at all levels must obtain permission before traveling to China, he added.
The purpose of trips and itineraries would face evaluations through a joint review committee mechanism, from which authorities such as the National Immigration Agency could issue risk reminders and implement checks, Chiu said.
Evaluations would also be bolstered for civil servants above rank 11 who are not yet subject to oversight by the joint review committee, he added.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan’s Liu Ming-i, right, who also goes by the name Ray Liu, poses with a Chinese Taipei flag after winning the gold medal in the men’s physique 170cm competition at the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation Asian Championship in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, yesterday.
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
A year-long renovation of Taipei’s Bangka Park (艋舺公園) began yesterday, as city workers fenced off the site and cleared out belongings left by homeless residents who had been living there. Despite protests from displaced residents, a city official defended the government’s relocation efforts, saying transitional housing has been offered. The renovation of the park in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), near Longshan Temple (龍山寺), began at 9am yesterday, as about 20 homeless people packed their belongings and left after being asked to move by city personnel. Among them was a 90-year-old woman surnamed Wang (王), who last week said that she had no plans
RSS