Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday courted controversy at an academic forum by proposing to remap the country's administrative regions.
In her proposal, Lu suggested moving the capital south or appointing another capital in the south to reduce the development gap between northern and southern Taiwan.
Apart from making the suggestion that Taiwan should be divided into four major parts -- northern, central, western and eastern Taiwan -- to replace the current 22 administrative regions governed by local governments, Lu also proposed to establish two "special administrations" -- one governing the nation's high mountainous regions and the other governing Taiwan's off-shore islands.
"As an initiator of remapping the country's local administrations, I want to say that we must have an overall change in the existing situation, which is not suitable anymore for the country to maintain a sustainable living environment", Lu said.
Lu used the High-Speed Rail (HSR) network as an example, which is scheduled to start operating this year. The HSR would greatly influence the areas it passes through, she said.
"As the HSR would shorten the geographical distance and save transportation time, it would be meaningless to have so many small administrative divisions," Lu said, noting that that's why she suggested dividing Taiwan into four major parts.
Responding to the vice president's idea, Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎), the Interior Ministry vice minister -- whose ministry is in charge of the country's administrative divisions -- said that he's not sure whether Lu's proposal can replace current policy.
"The vice president has the right to express her opinions, but I am not sure whether they will be adopted as the government's policy or not," Chien said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"My idea is to merge the administrative divisions into northern, central and southern metropolitan areas. The three areas will serve as a development engine driving the country forward," Ma said yesterday.
Ma said that there would be more details to work out on the issue, such as if the title "province" should be retained.
However, KMT caucus whip Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said that "it seemed to me that Lu's proposal was a preparation for declaring the country's independence in the future."
The Democratic People's Party government should enhance its ability to implement policies, not remap the nation, said Hwang Yih-jiau (黃義交), the People First Party caucus whip.
additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
‘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
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS