Pan-green lawmakers yesterday slammed Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) for leading a group of 15 lawmakers on a trip to disputed waters near the Diaoyutais, saying he was being carried away by quest for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairmanship. They also berated pan-blue legislators for meddling in the Ministry of National Defense's deployment plans.
Criticizing yesterday's high-profile day trip as a "political performance," Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus whip Ho Min-hao (
"We are very disappointed to see the KMT chairmanship election turn out to be like this," he said. "While Speaker Wang is wasting taxpayers' money, his rival Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Ho was referring to a comment made by Ma yesterday encouraging the navy to "use a battle to force a peace," ie, to stand up to Japan and force negotiations over the fishery dispute.
Ho did not participate in yesterday's trip. Ten of the lawmakers who did were from the KMT, three from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and two from the People First Party (PFP).
Ho said that the government should have made an effort to resolve fishery disputes by diplomatic channels instead of resorting to military means. He also said that a new law should be enacted to clearly demarcate the nation's territorial waters and boundaries.
At present the Constitution simply says: "the territory of the Republic of China according to its existing national boundaries shall not be altered except by resolution of the National Assembly."
During its 50-year rule, the KMT claimed that the nation's boundaries covered China, Tibet and Mongolia.
Ho said that while his caucus endorses the government's resolve to protect Taiwanese fishermen, such a responsibility should fall on the Coast Guard Administration (CGA), not the defense ministry.
What opposition lawmakers should have done, Ho said, is to approve more funding for the CGA to upgrade its equipment instead of complicating an already thorny issue.
"We'd really hate for the international community to see us as a troublemaker inciting regional instability," he said.
Calling on opposition lawmakers to pass the arms procurement budget, Ho also accused them of adopting a double standard in the face of China's military threat.
TSU Legislator Tseng Tsan-teng (曾燦燈) painted yesterday's trip as a farce because while the defense minister has the power to dispatch troops, Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) complied with the request made by People First Party (PFP) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), whose job is to oversee the ministry's operations.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) asked if Lin had encroached on President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) constitutional responsibility to command the armed forces.
Meanwhile, DPP caucus whip Lai Ching-te (
Lai also condemned what he called Wang and Ma's abuse of national resources for the KMT election. He said Wang's leading the legislative delegation yesterday was both "incorrect" and "failing to tell a friend from a foe." He lambasted Ma for spending NT$250,000 of Taipei residents' money to hold a forum with retired servicemen and their families, saying it using public resources for personal gain.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS