A fistfight broke out between pan-blue and pan-green lawmakers yesterday during an argument over a meeting about a secret fund of the National Security Bureau (NSB), which was scheduled for the same day as a meeting of the legislature's defense committee.
Five lawmakers were involved in the fight. They included four members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and one People First Party (PFP) Legislator. The DPP belongs to the pan-green camp and the PFP to the pan-blue camp.
PHOTO: CNA
It was the first clash of such magnitude at a meeting of the defense committee. Minor scuffles have occurred in the past.
Yesterday's fracas resulted from a difference of opinion over holding a meeting about a secret NSB fund that existed during the term of former president Lee Teng-hui (
Lawmakers of the pan-green camp argued that the meeting could not be held yesterday, because it is against the legislature's rules to hold a committee meeting on the same day as a general meeting of the legislature.
The defense committee had arranged to hold a meeting yesterday on the insistence of pan-blue lawmakers, despite the legislature's general meeting, which had also been slated for yesterday. The defense committee originally did not have any meeting scheduled for yesterday, but its schedule had been changed on Monday by the blue camp. This prompted lawmakers of the DPP and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) to lodge a protest prior to the opening of yesterday's meeting of the defense committee.
Pan-blue lawmakers, mainly from the PFP, reacted strongly to the protest. They insisted that the general meeting should take preference, since the matters under discussion should have been completed on Tuesday, but the pan-green camp had deliberately postponed the meeting until yesterday.
PFP lawmaker Chung Shao-ho (
Three other DPP lawmakers, including Kuo Wen-chen (
The fight did not change anything, however. The meeting on the NSB's secret funds took place as scheduled.
All the lawmakers involved in the fight had left the building by then, with some going to hospitals to treat their wounds and others back to their offices to arrange press conferences about what happened.
Lee might actually be the key to the conflict between the pan-blue and pan-green camps, since the pan-blue camp is demanding that the NSB explain Lee's suspected connection with the secret fund.
The NSB did not give any hint at the meeting that Lee might have used the secret fund for his personal interests or any illegal activities.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
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
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
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