The legislature yesterday approved an amendment to the Act for the Development of Tourism (發展觀光條例) that will allow people to buy domestic air and boat tickets at convenience stores and post offices nationwide.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Tsao Erh-chang (曹爾忠) hailed the passage of the bill, saying it would save residents of outlying islands the trouble of buying tickets at airports or travel agencies, which are usually some distance from their homes.
Tsao initiated the amendment following a case in which Uni Air was found to have violated the act by allowing residents of Matsu to purchase plane tickets at convenience stores.
The legislature also approved an amendment to the Agriculture Finance Act (農業金融法) allowing the Agricultural Bank of Taiwan, the credit department of farmers’ and fishermen’s associations, to issue credit cards.
KMT Legislator Hsiao Ching-tien (蕭景田) said the revision would benefit residents in rural and remote areas by making it possible for them to apply for credit cards at nearby agricultural or fishermen’s associations, with applications to be reviewed by the bank.
Also approved by the legislature was an amendment to the Preschool Education Act (幼稚教育法) allocating more funds for the Ministry of Education to hire more teachers to look after children in kindergarten.
Under the current system, a kindergarten school can apply for a subsidy for a teacher with a class of 30 children. After the revision, the ministry will be able to offer subsidies for two teachers in a kindergarten in a class which has more than 15 students and fewer than 30.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
Taiwan and the US have begun trade negotiations over tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump earlier this month, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said in an interview this morning before reporting to the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the US, has already established communication channels with the US Department of State and the US Trade Representative (USTR), and is engaging in intensive consultations, he said. Points of negotiation include tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers and issues related to investment, procurement and export controls, he