Amid verbal clashes and political bickering, the legislature yesterday decided that it would not send any representatives to a court hearing for the pan-green camp's temporary injunction application on the March 19 Shooting Truth Investigation Special Committee Statute (三一九槍擊事件真相調查特別委員會條例).
But despite the skirmishes, the committee started work yesterday morning. Former Judicial Yuan president Shih Chi-yang (
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), who filed the injunction request against the statute, yesterday confirmed that they would participate in the hearing.
The Judicial Yuan has requested that the DPP, the TSU and the legislature each designate representatives by tomorrow to attend the court hearing scheduled for Oct. 14.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"Many people don't agree that the legislature should be listed as the plaintiff in the case," Wang told reporters.
"As the March 19 Shooting Truth Investigation Special Committee Statute has been passed into law, I'm calling on the ruling and opposition parties to respect the dignity of the lawmaking body," he said.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (
"We'll definitely attend, because we're one of the parties filing the request. The legislature is relinquishing its rights if it decides not to appear in court," Ker said.
The DPP is expected to send Legislator Yu Ching (
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Huang Teh-fu (
"Neither the Constitution nor any existing law provides for the the so-called `immediate temporary injunction,' so there shouldn't be any plaintiff or accused," he said.
Verbal clashes also erupted during the meeting of the Judiciary Committee. People First Party (PFP) Legislator Chou Hsi-wei (
DPP lawmakers called Chou "shameless" and accused him of insulting the grand justices.
The DPP yesterday urged the Executive Yuan to neither cooperate with the "questionable committee," nor allocate any money to cover its operational costs.
In related news, actor Richard Gere -- in an interview aired on TVBS yesterday -- weighed in on the question of whether President Chen Shui-bian (
"What I thought was kind of bizarre was that the opposition assumed that he had set it up, in some way had himself shot," Gere said.
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
COVETED PRIZE: The US president would be a peace prize laureate should he persuade Xi Jinping to abandon military aggression against Taiwan, William Lai said US President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) told a conservative US radio show and podcast in an interview. The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the nation. Trump could meet Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Lai, speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
RSS