Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission Minister Lin Mei-chu (林美珠) yesterday said the commission will likely move toward merging with another ministry.
Lin made the remark in her first report to the Legislative Yuan since assuming office, as she fielded questions from lawmakers on the controversial issue of whether the commission should be dissolved or its duties merged into other ministries.
People First Party Legislator Chen Yi-chieh (陳怡潔) said public opinion favored dissolution of the commission.
Chen added that Lin’s report sounded “as if she was preparing to finish the tasks of the last chairperson,” so she asked Lin to comment on the issue.
“After so many years of discussion, there is already a certain consensus among political parties, and that is frankly speaking, with the current powers, functions and organization of the commission, it lacks resources to become a ministry on its own,” Lin said.
“Moving toward dissolving [the commission] or merging [with other agencies] is in line with the government’s policy directions, so we are not against it,” she added.
Whether the commission is dissolved or merged, the government must continue to handle Mongolian and Tibetan affairs, including academic, cultural, economic and professional personnel issues, Lin said.
When Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) asked which ministry the commission should be merged with and when, Lin said more discussion was needed to clarify what affairs would remain the key focus before a reorganization, adding that the timing was not up to the commission.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said reorganizing the commission would touch upon issues such as political refugees from Tibet and cultural exchanges, so comprehensive planning is needed before the commission is dissolved or merged with another government agency.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of