Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) has declined to meet with Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng (陳光誠), who is to give a speech at the legislature this morning.
Asked yesterday by reporters why the scheduled meeting was canceled, Wang said his schedule today would be “unpredictable” because he has to handle legislative matters.
“Yes, it was canceled, because we all know that the legislature will hold a plenary meeting tomorrow. That will be a critical day in the extra session,” Wang said.
According to a schedule that was announced on June 13 by the Taiwan Association for China Human Rights, which is hosting Chen’s visit, Wang would have 30 minutes to meet with Chen in the legislature before the dissident addresses the legislature at 10am.
The legislature decided on May 24 to have a two-week extra session between June 13 and Thursday. Today will be the last chance for a number of bills to go through second and third readings if the opposition is opposed to holding plenary meetings tomorrow and Thursday.
Wang said he was “not under any pressure” to call off the meeting with Chen.
“I told [the host] about two weeks ago since the legislature decided to hold the extra session that I might have an unpredictable schedule during the session. I told them long before, not yesterday or the day before yesterday [as the media has reported],” Wang said.
Wang said it would be more important for Chen to gain a better understanding and a first-hand experience of democracy in Taiwan than to meet with him.
Wang also serves as president of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, a government-funded institution aimed at supporting courageous individuals and groups devoted to promoting democracy and human rights.
Chen is scheduled to tour the foundation on July 10, but Wang said he would not be able to meet Chen then either.
Wang said that he very much welcomed the visit by Chen and his family, but that he would not be able to meet with him during his 18-day stay.
“No. Now that the meeting has been canceled, his [Chen’s] itinerary during his stay has already been settled,” Wang said.
When Chen visits the foundation, he will be received by its chief executive, Huang Teh-fu (黃德福), Wang said.
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
RSS