The legislature yesterday passed an amendment to the Local Government Act (地方制度法) that will allow cities and counties to integrate into special municipalities. The amendment paves the way for the elevation of the status of a merged Taichung City and Taichung County.
The amendment states that the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) or a city or county may initiate a merger plan and that plan needs the approval of the Executive Yuan.
“Cities and counties interested in a merger are welcome to file their application by May 31 after obtaining permission for a merger plan from their city or county council,” Minister of the Interior Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) told a press conference yesterday.
PHOTO: CNA
Liao said his ministry would not take the initiative to suggest any mergers and the amendment “was not tailor-made for the merger of Taichung City and Taichung County.”
“All applications will be treated equally without discrimination. The Executive Yuan will consider each application in a fair, impartial and public way,” Liao said.
The amendment, however, was still widely viewed as a move to deliver on President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) campaign promise to merge Taichung City and Taichung County into a municipality, part of his plan to redraw administrative districts to create three metropolitan areas and 15 counties.
Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator from Taichung City, treated lawmakers to candy after the bill was passed, while her colleague Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) displayed an artificial string of firecrackers while expressing thanks for the passage of the bill.
Integration of cities and counties will enable them to meet one of the requirements — a population of more than 1.25 million — needed to upgrade their status to a special municipality, which will result in a substantial increase in the budget allocated by the central government.
The amendment was also supported by the Democratic Progressive Party, but the party called on the Executive Yuan to be impartial in considering the subject.
“We are happy to see upgraded status for a merged Taichung City and Taichung County, but we hope the KMT will support mergers for Tainan City and Tainan County, and Kaohsiung City and Kaohisung County and elevate both of them to special municipalities as well,” DPP Legislator William Lai (賴清德) said.
If the plan to merge Taichung City and Taichung County is approved by the Executive Yuan, the terms of the Taichung City mayor and Taichung County commissioner, as well as village and township chiefs, will be extended by one year to the end of next year, Liao said.
DPP Legislator Chen Ying (陳瑩) of the Puyuma Aboriginal tribe said she wasn’t happy about the amendment.
“The new version of the law did not mention anything about protecting Aboriginal rights in mountain Aboriginal townships after counties merge with cities to become directly administrated cities,” she said.
The current Local Government Act stipulates that mountain Aboriginal township heads must be Aborigines. For example, the mayor of Taichung County’s Heping Township (和平) — an Atayal township — must be an Aborigine.
However, once Taichung County merges with Taichung City to become a new expanded Taichung City, Heping Township would become Heping District within the city and the head of Heping District would be appointed by the mayor.
“Although they did pass a resolution suggesting that the mayor should appoint an Aborigine to the post of an Aboriginal district head, the resolution is not legally binding,” she said.
In related news, Liao said the government would propose an amendment to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) and a bill regarding the country’s administration division in two months to make necessary adjustments to budget allocations and administrative demarcations following the passage of the amendment.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LOA IOK-SIN
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old