ARMS SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET NIXED BY LAWMAKERS
ROC Central News Agency
2006-12-29 15:01:59
Taipei, Dec. 29 (CNA) Lawmakers on Friday voted in favor of referring a draft bill governing major defense investment for legislative review but voted against doing so for a supplemental budget that would provide initial funding for an arms purchase from the United States.
Opposition legislators, led by People First Party (PFP) lawmakers, said that the NT$6.3 billion (US$193.8 million) supplemental budget should be returned to the procedure committee for further handling.
A bill on an arms procurement package from the United States -- which includes eight diesel-electric submarines, asquadron of 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircraft and six Patriot PAC III anti-missile batteries -- has been blocked by the opposition-controlled legislature for nearly 70 times since it was first submitted in mid-2004.
The budget for the arms procurement package from the United States was slashed from NT$610.8 billion to NT$480 billion last year to placate the opposition lawmakers. It was further reduced to NT$340 billion to only cover the purchase of the submarines and the sub-hunting aircraft.
The supplemental budget includes NT$200 million for a submarine feasibility assessment, NT$1.7 billion for the P-3Cs in the first year, NT$3.7 billion for the upgrading of the Patriot II missiles, and NT$700 million for building an airstrip on Taiping Island, the major island of the Spratly Islands group.
Legislators voted 194-162 in favor of referring the draft bill governing major defense purchases for legislative review. The bill, if passed into law, would serve as a legal basis for the passage of the NT$6.3 billion supplemental budget.
(By Deborah Kuo)
ENDITEM/Li
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
