President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen made the announcement after meeting with representatives from opposition parties at the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon.
The participants also agreed that the government needs more time before making a final decision on issuing a state of emergency in the country, which has been severely disrupted by the outbreak of the flu-like disease.
"The participants shared the view that the president should be given full jurisdiction to make a decision on the announcement and they also believe that government agencies will conduct thorough reviews for the evaluation," Secretary General to the Presidential Office Chiou Yi-jen (邱義仁) told a news conference after the meeting.
The meeting was scheduled by the president in a bid to gather together all top opposition leaders -- including KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
However the two chairmen were absent at the meeting. KMT Vice Chairman Lin Chun-chi (
Chen, concluding his meeting with the representatives, said that the participants also urged the media to play a helping role in the fight against SARS.
The media should conduct more checks on SARS news stories and ensure the information is credible to prevent generating further panic in society, the president said.
All parties called for the public to be well prepared for a long-term confrontation to the spreading epidemic, according to the president.
"In this case, every member of the society has no right to be apathetic to other's misfortune or trouble," Chen told the public.
Other political leaders invited to yesterday's discussion included TSU Chairman Huang Chu-wen (
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
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