Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday each declined to attend President William Lai’s (賴清德) proposed national security briefing today.
Lai in his inauguration anniversary address on May 20 proposed holding the briefing.
The TPP yesterday morning said in a statement that Huang would not be attending, calling the meeting hasty and rash, and that it reeked of political manipulation.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
The party said it initially welcomed the invitation for a sincere exchange of opinions on national affairs, but added that it had not received any update on the meeting from the Presidential Office for more than two weeks.
When the TPP received a notification of the meeting, it learned that the meeting would be limited to a briefing on national security affairs, which the party said was not what the president promised.
The Presidential Office did not adequately communicate with the TPP over the meeting, while much of the information it received about the briefing was through the media, it said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Discussions of national security affairs or classified information should observe the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), and should not be held at the will of one person above the law, the party said.
The TPP also urged Lai to remove National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), alleging that he was a national security liability, after his former aide while foreign affairs minister, Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑), was charged with spying for China.
Yesterday afternoon, Chu also announced he would not attend the briefing, but added that he hopes the secretaries-general of the KMT and the TPP would continue to work with the Presidential Office on the possibility of similar events.
The KMT has always sought dialogue between the ruling and opposition parties, Chu said, adding that such talks should be geared toward the resolution of problems faced by Taiwanese.
The KMT believes the ruling and opposition parties need not have an adversarial relationship, he said.
Lai is the critical link to realizing that goal, he said, urging the president to improve relations between the parties.
Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said that the office thanked the KMT for its efforts and willingness to continue talks, and that the office would strive to create a platform for dialogue.
Additional reporting by Chen Yun
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
RSS