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One of the stories we covered this past week is that Taiwan is set to levy a hefty fine on Chinese boats entering Taiwan waters illegally. That’s after a revision to existing laws cleared the legislature on Tuesday paving the way for larger fines.
Chinese boat owners, chief operating officers, captains and helmsmen will be fined up to US$333,000 if they enter Taiwan waters illegally. The law applies to fishing boats as well.
Independent lawmaker Chen Hsuen-shen said the move is to curb illegal Chinese fishing.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) says it will strengthen law enforcement to protect the rights of Taiwanese fishermen.
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Also this past week, the Cabinet passed a draft bill to reduce the work week from 84 hours every two weeks to 40 hours a week.
The Cabinet passed the amendment to the Labor Standards Act on Thursday. The draft bill also caps overtime work at 54 hours a month and formalizes the five-day work week.
Premier Mao Chi-kuo said in a Cabinet meeting that reducing working hours is a major government policy. He also said that the government hopes to strike a balance between business interests and labor welfare.
Taiwanese people work some of the longest hours in the world. A 2013 study by the Taiwan-based China Times found that the Taiwanese work an average of 2,140.8 hours a year, much longer than the Japanese average of 1,745.2 hours.
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And finally, this past week, US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel said on Thursday that the United States supports Taiwan’s participation in the International Police Organization (Interpol).
Russel said the US agrees that Taiwan is a net contributor to international law enforcement and is looking for ways to build on that. He was speaking during a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
The assistant secretary said the US has been active in helping to promote Taiwan's active participation in appropriate organizations, including Interpol.
Taiwan became an Interpol member in 1961 under its official name the Republic of China but withdrew in 1984, when its name was changed into “Taiwan, China” against its will when the People's Republic of China applied to become a member.
Earlier this month, a bipartisan bill was introduced at the US House of Representatives to promote Taiwan’s participation as an observer in Interpol.