Since a bill that would allow Taiwan to purchase three major weapons systems from the US has been blocked by the pan-blue alliance in the legislature 26 times, a pro-independence group yesterday announced that it will launch a "large-scale" march on Sept. 25 in Taipei City to call on the opposition parties to abandon their boycott of the bill.
The group behind the march, the pan-green supported Hand-in-Hand Taiwan Alliance, yesterday announced its plan to hold the march, while Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (
The head of the alliance, Ng Chiau-tong (
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
However, Ng said, the KMT later collaborated with its ally the People First Party, to boycott the procurement deal simply because of their desire to oppose the DPP government.
"The pan-blue camp's irrational actions have jeopardized Taiwan's security and allowed the military balance between Taiwan and China to deteriorate," Ng said.
Therefore, Ng said, the alliance will hold a "large-scale" march on Sept. 25 in Taipei City with the assistance of the World Taiwanese Congress, another pro-independence group.
The special arms procurement budget bill is designed to provide the funding for Taiwan to purchase three PAC-3 Patriot anti-missile batteries, 12 P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and eight diesel-electric submarines from the US. The purchase of the items would cost NT$480 billion (US$15 billion).
Critics of the deal describe it as costly and unnecessary, while supporters say it is vital to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself against Chinese aggression.
Ng said that the congress has invited President Chen Shui-bian (
Su said that the US does not understand why the arms sale has been delayed in the legislature for so long, and that many US officials believe it is now time for the people of Taiwan to express their resolve and do more to protect their homeland.
Otherwise, no one would be willing to help Taiwan if it was faced with an imminent Chinese invasion, Su said.
Shu agreed with Su, saying that national defense is the basis for a nation, and that there could be no such thing as sovereignty for a nation if its national security is endangered.
Both leaders called on supporters to participate in the march, promising that they would help the march to succeed.
also see story:
PFP lends conditional support to weapons budget
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
RSS