Proposed military pension reform to take effect as scheduled: premier

ROC Central News Agency

2018/05/09 21:00:50

Taipei, May 9 (CNA) Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) maintained Wednesday that the proposed reform of the military pension system, which has been met with protests, will go into effect as planned July 1.

An article-by-article review of the controversial military pension reform bill which has led to violent protests from veterans' group "800 Warriors" began that day, moving the bill one step closer toward being enacted into law.

Lai told reporters that the Cabinet plans to put the pension reforms for retired military personnel into effect July 1, the same day as reforms for pensions of retired civil servants and public school teachers, which have already cleared the Legislature.

The legislative session got off to a late start Wednesday because of obstruction by opposition Kuomintang lawmakers.

Outside the Legislative Yuan building meanwhile, members of the veterans group held a peaceful protest that did not result in clashes with the 1,200 police officers standing between them and the building, unlike an April 25 protest that resulted in scuffles and injuries.

The meticulous process of the review of the bill was still underway late Wednesday, extended until midnight as per a motion by ruling Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) that was passed in the middle of the session.

The military pension reform bill proposed by the Cabinet April 12 passed its first reading at the Legislative Yuan April 20 and has met with strong opposition from military retirees, who will see their pensions cut as a result of the measure.

The protesters are hoping for negotiations with the government before the process of the reform bill continues.

(By Pan Tzu-yu, Matt Yu, Liu Kuan-ting and Kuan-lin Liu)
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