Starting in Taipei today, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) is visiting 19 sites that have been proposed as possible new locations for the Legislative Yuan.
You yesterday thanked the local governments, saying that he would assess the viability of each location.
The building that houses the Legislative Yuan has for years been fraught with problems, which prompted You to establish a committee that would propose a solution.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
All proposals are to be discussed by party representatives before a decision is reached.
Relocating the legislature might take a decade or two, but it “has to start somewhere,” You said, adding that he hopes to get opinions and professional assessments from every sector.
You and committee convener Lin Jou-min (林洲民) yesterday explained their location search-and-selection process to reporters.
Over the past 30 years, 15 locations have been proposed, You said, adding that rebuilding on the current site was one of them.
Five of the proposed locations are in Taipei: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the 202nd Arsenal and Joint Logistics Command, Huashan 1914 Creative Park, the former Air Force Command Headquarters and the Huaguang Community, he said.
You said he welcomed four recent proposals from Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲): the Taipei Military Police building, the Taipei Reserve Command, the vehicle tow yard in Wanhua District (萬華) and the Chientan Youth Activity Center.
You plans to visit the New Taipei City Government on Thursday next week, followed by the Taichung City Government, the Changhua County Government and the Yilan County Government.
You said he would keep an open mind and ask a lot of questions.
This is not the first time that moving or rebuilding the legislature has been discussed, as there was a proposal in 1990 to move the legislature to the now-defunct Huashan Station.
The proposal was passed in 1992, but then abandoned because the budget was cut by the next legislature.
In 1999, the former Air Force Command Headquarters was proposed and a special budget was passed for the project.
That plan also fell through after the Taipei City Council opposed urban development changes and disaster relief became the priority following the 921 Earthquake.
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,
As eight basketball-playing international students appealed to the Taiwanese basketball industry after they were excluded from the draft of an upcoming new league merging the P.League+ and the T1 League, the new league’s preparatory committee spokesperson Chang Shu-jen (張樹人) yesterday said the committee would tomorrow discuss the supplementary measures and whether the international students can join the draft. The students on Tuesday called for support on their right to play in the upcoming new league, after a merger involving the two leagues impacted their eligibility for the draft. The international players from the University Basketball Association (UBA), led by first pick prospect