The Legislature’s Transportation Committee decided yesterday to delay its review of the Taoyuan Airport Special Zone bill as controversy over some of its articles remained unresolved.
“The public still has some doubts,” said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Ken-te (陳根德), who presided over the meeting. “Let’s review it [the bill] another day, when everyone is clear about its contents.”
The bill was proposed by seven legislators representing districts in Taoyuan County, including Chen.
Chen issued the ruling after several lawmakers, from the KMT as well as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), criticized the bill.
DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-ching (葉宜津) said that the zone’s directors, consisting of just seven to nine members, would be entitled to decide how they wanted to develop the zone.
They would also be free from other regulations, she said.
“It [the zone] is like a small kingdom,” Yeh said. “The chairman of the board would be the master of that small kingdom.”
DPP Legislator, Kuo Wen-cheng (郭玟成) also expressed disapproval.
“This is not a bill for the ‘Airport City,’ nor is it one tailored to fulfill Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) campaign promises,” Kuo said.
“You might as well change the name of the bill to the ‘Republic of Taoyuan Airport.’ We are looking at a completely independent system!” he said.
KMT Legislator Tsao Erh-chang (曹爾忠), representing districts in Matsu, also challenged the bill.
Tsao said that he was for the idea of making Taoyuan International Airport more competitive. However, the revenue generated from the airport is used to sustain 17 other domestic airports.
Once Taoyuan International Airport becomes an independent administration, transportation subsidies for the residents in the surrounding islands may be cut, he said.
“I strongly oppose it [the bill],” Tsao said. “What would other airports live on then?”
“You lawmakers from Taoyuan had better restrain yourselves,” he said.
Legislators from other counties demanded similar development plans for their hometowns.
“I suggest they erase ‘Taoyuan’ from the bill’s title,” said KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) from Kaohsiung City. “That way other airports could apply for the same law.”
The committee began reviewing the bill on Monday and had reserved only a small period for further deliberations yesterday.
However, the measure has drawn criticism from both government officials and the media.
Expecting that the bill might be passed without opposition, the KMT and DPP have both mobilized their lawmakers to attend the meeting.
The Taoyuan County government meanwhile dispatched officials to monitor the proceedings of the meeting. At times, the officials passed notes to KMT lawmakers to offer instructions on the bill.
The county government has actively sought the support of the media, as several reporters covering the Taoyuan Airport Special Zone bill said county officials had contacted them hoping to “better explain the bill.”
Meanwhile, the DPP legislative caucus held a press conference yesterday morning urging the KMT to postpone the review of the bill until the new government takes office on May 20.
“This proposal concerns 16 government bodies and at least 33 laws must be amended to make the proposal possible,” DPP legislative caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said. “To do this, we need more careful discussion and review. And it will definitely take time. We cannot be careful enough.”
Lai said that the DPP would endorse the idea of lifting bans on foreign visitors at the airport, but there need to be enough related mechanisms.
He said that the proposal should not be passed without further discussion because it would create problems in terms of national security and other problems.
“There are still a lot of ridiculous and impractical regulations in the proposal and they need to be fixed, or Taiwan would become a wonderland for Chinese visitors since there will be a lot of opportunities, such as job vacancies, for them as long as they can set foot on Taiwan’s soil,” Lai said.
Echoing the KMT’s Tsao, DPP deputy caucus whip Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said the proposal, once approved, would impact Taiwan’s other 17 airports.
“Taoyuan International Airport is the only one of these airports that is making a profit of approximately NT$6 billion [US$198 million] every year. Under the proposal, the airport would only have to pay NT$1.8 billion to the government,” Kuan said.
Kuan said the KMT should make sure that the proposal will not impact on government offices, airports and related industries before the new government pushes it through.
‘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