As of press time last night, 32 police officers and 11 journalists had been injured, and 63 protesters arrested yesterday during a demonstration in Taipei against planned pension reform for veterans.
Retired military personnel at a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan in the morning called on the government to delay its plan to cut their pensions, as veteran groups staged a series of protests outside the legislature.
The Executive Yuan earlier this month unveiled draft amendments to the Act of Military Service for Officers and Noncommissioned Officers of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍軍官士官服役條例), which would set the minimum monthly pension at NT$38,990 and gradually phase out an 18 percent preferential interest rate on the savings of retirees who had enlisted before 1995.
Photo: Fang Ping-chao, Taipei Times
At the hearing yesterday morning, Luo Jui-ta (羅睿達), chief executive of the 800 Heroes veterans’ group, urged the government to delay reviewing the bill, because “it could be unconstitutional.”
The government should apply for a constitutional interpretation, because the bill might have violated the principle of legitimate expectation, he said.
“President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said no one would be ‘unable to live’ because of the reform, but how many of the nation’s veterans have become handicapped or sacrificed their marriage because of their service to the nation,” he said.
Photo: CNA
He also accused the government of using the pension fund’s impending bankruptcy as a reason for cutting military pensions.
“If the Ministry of National Defense allocates money toward the fund every year according to the law and properly manages the fund, the system would never go bankrupt,” he said.
“We just want justice and dignity for those who have fought for the nation,” Luo said, adding that the government should have communicated with them on the issue before drafting the bill.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Previous reforms did not cause the same level of outrage, because they were not retroactive, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) said.
To avoid disputes, “the government should apply the Labor Standards Act (勞基法) to civil servants, public-school teachers and military personnel, so that people of different occupations and generations are treated based on the same standards,” she said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) at 1pm announced the end of the hearing, despite protests from members of the 800 Heroes and KMT legislators, who had expected a second round of discussions.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Members of the 800 Heroes criticized the DPP for being “arrogant and rude,” and vowed to never stop protesting until they receive a proper answer from the ruling party.
Outside the legislature, police had erected barbed wire and barricades around the Legislative Yuan and the Executive Yuan, and mobilized more than 1,200 officers to prevent protesters from breaking into the compounds.
At 3pm, protesters began clashing with police outside the Legislative Yuan compound, throwing wood planks, smoke grenades and PET bottles at them. Some attacked journalists and tried to take their cameras away.
At about 4pm, several protesters broke into the Legislative Yuan compound and were immediately arrested.
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