President announces bigger military allowances

President announces bigger military allowances

2025-03-21

President Lai Ching-te on Friday announced a hike to allowances for the military. Voluntary service allowances will go up to NT$15,000, while some combat units with demanding duties and training will see their allowances go from NT$5,000 to NT$12,000. The KMT has blasted the hikes as being too puny. In response, the DPP and the president called on the KMT to reconsider its budget cuts and freezes to the defense budget.

On the last day of the “Mini Han Kuang” exercises, President Lai Ching-te headed to Songshan Airport to meet the 2nd combat team of the Marine Corps 66th Brigade. He gave them a bonus and also shared good news.

Lai Ching-te
President
Officers below the rank of major, as well as non-commissioned officers and soldiers are the main force of Taiwan’s combat units. The allowance for voluntary service will go up from NT$10,000 to NT$15,000. And for troops in Type 1 combat units, where training and duties are extremely demanding, the allowance will be increased from NT$5,000 to NT$12,000. This shows the government’s commitment to taking care of our military personnel.

KMT lawmakers have criticized the allowances as being too stingy, adding that they would propose a raise plan of their own.

Lai Ching-te
President
Making adjustments to the compensation for our military is a long-term process that requires rigorous discussion, and it’s not a matter of shouting out unrealistic figures. I hope that the opposition party will reconsider their cuts and freezes to the defense budget and provide the biggest support to our military personnel.

Chen Kuan-ting
Lawmaker (DPP)
The adjustments to the allowances aim to retain and attract personnel to grassroots and combat units. The best way for the opposition to defuse the tensions between government and opposition would be to support President Lai’s initiative to increase military budgets.

Amid the KMT’s staunch rejection of anything proposed by the DPP, a lawmaker urged the opposition to not politicize military matters.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

賴總統校閱軍隊宣布"調升國軍加給" 最高1.2萬

2025-03-21

小漢光操演進入最後一天，總統賴清德週五一早校閱保衛首都的海軍陸戰隊66旅第二戰鬥隊，除了頒發加菜金，也宣布從4月開始增加志願役跟戰鬥部隊的加給，一個符合條件的基層官兵，月收可增加1萬2000元。但藍營認為太少、將提自己的版本，賴清德也喊話，調整待遇不是漫天喊價，希望在野黨能支持.

小漢光最後一天，總統賴清德來到松山機場，校閱戍衛首都的海軍陸戰隊66旅第二戰鬥隊，頒發加菜金之餘，更帶來好消息。

[[總統賴清德]]
“少校以下軍官與士官、士兵，是作戰部隊的主力。(志願役加給)將從1萬元，調整為1萬5000元，第一類型作戰部隊訓練和勤務，都極為繁重，(作戰加給)從現行的5000元，調整為1萬2000元，落實政府對國軍弟兄姊妹的承諾與照顧。”

但國民黨立委嫌調升加給太少，他們會有自己的版本。

[[總統賴清德]]
“調整國軍待遇是長期進程，要經過嚴謹討論，絕不是漫天喊價。我也希望在野黨重新思考，凍刪國防預算的影響，給予國軍官士兵最大的支持。”

[[立委(民) 陳冠廷]]
“他是以基層為主、以戰鬥部隊為主，對軍方人員留得住，願意留，都有加分，在野黨如果想緩和現在朝野緊張關係，最好的做法就是支持總統提高軍人的預算。”

面對藍營"逢綠必反"，綠營立委喊話軍人待遇不能政治操作，希望透過共同支持國軍，緩和朝野緊張關係。

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Hsiao Bi-khim
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Hsiao Bi-khim
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The Chinese Communist Party is extremely proactive in infiltrating, and even challenging and destroying our constitutional system, so we need an extremely sound and complete system. The president’s expectation is that the current system of the separation of the five powers needs to be maintained so we hereby especially hope that our legislators from all parties can uphold professional considerations.

Lai’s previous Constitutional Court nominees were all rejected by the Legislative Yuan. Hsiao called on the legislature to support and protect Taiwan’s democracy.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Critics blast KMT referendum proposals on death penalty and martial law

Critics are blasting the KMT for two referendum proposals that the party put forward on Friday. The first proposal is asking for a vote against the abolition of the death penalty. The second calls for a vote to end “martial law” in Taiwan and is a reaction to President Lai Ching-te’s recent proposal to reinstate military trials. Critics say that neither of the referendums makes sense, as the death penalty is still legal in Taiwan, and the country is not under martial law.

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Wu Tsung-hsien
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Lai Jui-lung
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There is no such problem as the abolition of the death penalty in Taiwan. The death penalty is still being executed, it’s a fake issue. It’s a fabrication created by the KMT to influence the people’s right to recalls.

The KMT claims it is trying to protect Taiwan’s democracy. But critics say, the party is trying to draw attention away from the many recalls initiated against KMT politicians. Premier Cho Jung-tai says neither of the issues brought up in the referendum proposals currently affect Taiwanese society.

Cho Jung-tai
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Neither of these two issues are a thing. I’ve said it before. Do the proponents of the referendums think Taiwan is under martial law now?

Lee Chin-yung
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The government doesn’t have policies. Proposing a referendum asking the government to stop doing something it is not doing doesn’t make sense. Even if the referendum passes, it wouldn’t have any effect under Article 30 of the Referendum Act.

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Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Pegatron has become the latest company to open a new office in the US. The move comes amid American President Donald Trump’s threats to impose heavy tariff policies. The main reason for Pegatron’s new office in California’s Silicon Valley is to provide services to customers nearby. For example, Nvidia’s headquarters are just a two-minute walk across the street. Pegatron Chair Tung Tzu-hsien says his company’s activities in North America are bound to increase.

This is a new American office from Pegatron. Pegatron Chair Tung Tzu-hsien attended the opening ceremony in person and gave a big thumbs up.

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Here at Pegatron’s new office in the US, there aren’t just computer rooms, but also a showroom and display area. The office displays a series of Pegatron products, from AI servers to related 5G communication products.

Pegatron chose to locate the office in the heart of the tech industry district in Santa Clara. Taiwanese companies TSMC, Quanta Computer and Mediatek all have bases here. Nvidia’s headquarters is 160m across the street, and electric car giant Tesla is also not far away. Needless to say there are many start-ups here too.

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Our next-door neighbor is Nvidia, the hottest company in the industry, so of course we are here, we have a geographical advantage.

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For example, if there is a technical issue on a server opposite us, frankly speaking I can just jog over there and have a face-to-face conversation in 10 minutes. Being at this point in Silicon Valley, of course our activities in North America will increase, and I expect even more in the future.

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(In the past) more people ventured west from Taiwan, often flying to the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta. Perhaps in the future, manufacturing will move from the left to the right.

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Pegatron’s new US office is located directly opposite Nvidia’s headquarters, just a two-minute walk away. They have finally decided to settle in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley to prepare for future business.

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Chang grew up in Redding in Northern California and began skiing at the age of 10. To further perfect his routine, he decided to move to Lake Tahoe to train. Since then, he has competed internationally in countries like Austria, Japan, New Zealand, and the US.

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I started at the bottom of the team in the beginning but then made my way to the top and was able to place top ten in states in California. And from there, I decided to pursue that even more and I moved to Tahoe. And from there in Tahoe, I was able to join the Chinese Taipei team realizing that I was good enough.

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When traveling to South Korea, many people do what the folks behind me are doing and line up at an exchange counter to get Korean won. But now there’s no need to go through the hassle. All you need is your phone to eat, drink, travel, and shop to your heart’s content.

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In a traditional South Korean market, you don’t need even cash anymore to get a snack like this. Just use your phone to pay.

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When you’re done with your beauty treatment, just use your phone to pay. Many people go to South Korea especially for the beauty clinics, but different treatments vary widely in price. If you don’t have enough cash on hand, it’s a good thing e-payment is available.

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Lots of people come from all over the world. Taiwanese account for about 5% give or take. If getting a bit more done, one person might spend 3 to 4 million won on one visit.

Services like Line Pay are targeting high-end fashion brands, while PX Pay links to bank accounts in Taiwan. Most of the shops in tourism-heavy areas provide it to be convenient for travelers, including beauty clinics and places where you can try on hanbok. Taiwan Pay is mostly used for the variety stores and gift shops frequented by Taiwanese travelers.

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For our overseas expansion, we’re actually in the process of negotiating with many countries. Of course, we hope to cater to people traveling, whether to Thailand or soon to be Vietnam. These are all areas we hope to keep growing in.

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