Taiwan president vows to boost island's defence budget as China threats rise
Taipei (AP/PTI): Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te pledged to strengthen the island's defences in the face of escalating Chinese threats, saying in a New Year's address on Wednesday that Taiwan was a crucial part of the “line of defence of democracy” globally.
China claims Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy, is part of its territory and has vowed to annex the island by force if necessary.
“Authoritarian countries such as China, Russia, North Korea and Iran are still collaborating to threaten the international order that is based on rules. This has severely influenced the Indo-Pacific region and the world's peace and stability,” Lai said in his address.
Beijing has used a variety of tactics in recent years to increase pressure on Taiwan, from sending warships and fighter jets toward the island on a near-daily basis to pressuring Taiwan's diplomatic allies to switch their recognition to China.
In response, Taiwan has been reforming its military and buying weapons from the United States, its biggest unofficial ally.
“Taiwan must be prepared for danger in times of peace. It must keep increasing the national defence budget to strengthen its defence capabilities in order to show the determination to defend the country. Every single person has the duty to protect Taiwan's democracy and security," Lai said.
Lai also issued a warning about the need to uphold democracy domestically, addressing recent political controversies in Taiwan.
The Kuomingtang-led opposition passed three bills last month after legislators got into a physical tussle over them. The bills are designed to make recall votes for politicians more difficult and change the budget allocation for the central government. Critics said another of the bills would paralyse the Constitutional Court.
Lai's party has said the bills, which still need to be accepted by the executive branch, are a threat to democracy.
“Domestic competition among political parties is a part of democracy. But domestic political disputes must be resolved democratically, within the constitutional system. This is the only way democracy can continue to grow," Lai said.
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Dalit woman, daughter assaulted, dragged on road in MP's Morena over trivial incident; 2 held
Morena, Jan 3: A Dalit woman and her daughter were brutally assaulted on Friday allegedly by two men and then dragged on the road in Morena in Madhya Pradesh following a minor incident involving a dog, a police official said.
A video of the incident, which took place in full public view in Ambah area, went viral on social media.
"Anita Mahor has sustained serious injuries after being hit by sticks and then dragged on the road. Her daughter Bharti is also injured. We have arrested Rajesh Tomar and Kumher Singh Tomar for assaulting them," Ambah police station in charge Satendra Singh Kushwaha said.
"Anita Mahor's son Deepak has told us that his younger brother Santosh was going to throw waste this morning when he was startled by the presence of a dog. He threw the waste, which also included dung, on the dog in fright and fled. This infuriated the two accused," he said.
The two accused and others stormed into Mahor's house armed with a chopper and sticks and attacked her and her kin, police said.
