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.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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