POLITICS
Funds, bill blocked again
Opposition lawmakers yesterday voted to exclude a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.66 billion) special defense budget and the Cabinet’s version of amendments to the Government Revenues and Expenditures Allocation Act (財政收支劃分法) from the agenda, prolonging a standoff with the Executive Yuan. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party lawmakers on the Procedure Committee blocked the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-backed bills in a 10-to-nine vote. “Nothing good goes smoothly,” said DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), who attended the meeting to oversee the ruling party’s bid to pass the proposals. The vote marked the seventh and eighth time respectively that the opposition parties have blocked the defense budget and the draft act from deliberation.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
WEATHER
Cold warnings issued
The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued cold surge advisories for 18 regions, warning of lows below 10°C through tonight. An “orange” alert was issued for Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan, signaling sustained temperatures of 10°C or below, possibly dropping below 6°C in some places. The cold weather is due to the arrival of a strong continental cold air combined with radiative cooling, the agency said. While the cold air is expected to weaken slightly on Friday and Saturday, radiative cooling would keep temperatures low, it added.
LABOR
New fishers to get raise
Fishing vessels would be required to increase the minimum monthly wage for newly hired foreign crew members to US$570 from US$550 starting this year, the Fisheries Agency said yesterday. The agency would not issue employment permits to employers who do not comply, agency Deputy Director Lin Ting-jung (林頂榮) said. The pay raise is part of the second phase of the Action Plan for Fisheries and Human Rights, Lin said. The plan, which runs through 2029, continues the strategies of the first phase, including improving labor and living conditions, and social security protections, tightening oversight of labor brokers and flag-of-convenience vessels, enhancing monitoring capabilities and deepening international cooperation, the agency said. The work would include establishing wage reporting and arrears payment measures to ensure fishers receive their pay, improving communications and medical conditions onboard, and digitizing contracts, the agency said. The agency also piloted remote telemedicine measures last year, which would be fully implemented in stages this year, Lin said.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
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