Taiwan slipped in a study ranking countries on corruption, but academics and lawyers insisted yesterday that progress was being made.
According to a study released by Transparency International Taiwan (TI-Taiwan) at a press conference yesterday, Taiwan ranked 30th on a list of 133 countries. The country achieved a score of 5.7 on the 10-point "Corruption Perception Index." The 5.7 was a slight improvement over last year's 5.6, but the nation fell from last year's 29th spot. A higher score on the index indicates less corruption.
"Thanks to Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan's (陳定南) hard work on an anti-corruption crackdown over the past three years, statistics show that local corruption cases are decreasing," Hsieh Li-kong (謝立功), an associate professor at Central Police University, said at the press conference.
The study is the result of surveys conducted by 13 non-governmental organizations and the work of more than 20,000 participants from over 200 countries.
According to the index, Finland was the least corrupt nation with a score of 9.7. Iceland ranked second with a score of 9.6. Denmark and New Zealand shared third place with a score of 9.5.
Closer to home, Singapore came in fifth place with a score of 9.4 -- the highest rank among Asian countries -- while Hong Kong, the second highest score in Asia, was listed 14th worldwide with a score of eight.
China placed 66th with a score of 3.4.
Canada and the UK tied for 11th with a score of 8.7. The US, with a score of 7.5, placed 18th.
Bangladesh ranked last with a score of 1.3.
"The index reflects ... participants' impression of corruption toward these 133 countries," said Jay Shih (
Hsieh said that clean elections are key to driving away corruption and that Chen has made remarkable progress.
"It is a problem of the public's attitude," Hsieh said. "In the past, candidates believed that they had to buy votes to win elections. After they won their campaigns, they began to accept bribes in order to `balance' their bank accounts. It is a vicious cycle."
According to Hsieh, establishing connections with foreign law enforcement agencies should be a priority as it would help Taiwan handle an increasing number of international corruption cases.
Su Yiu-chen (蘇友辰), defense counsel in the Hsichih trio murder case, said that the government is making progress despite slipping in the ranking.
"It only showed that many other countries are also making progress," Su said. "We still have lots of room to improve."
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique