Amid events commemorating the 228 Incident, a bill calling for people who committed atrocities during the incident to stand trial was blocked in the legislature yesterday, provoking quarrels between pan-blue and pan-green lawmakers.
The bill was aimed at amending the Statute for Handling of and Compensation for the 228 Incident (二二八事件處理及補償條例), enacted in April 1995. The statute detailed a series of steps to help 228 victims and their families.
Dissatisfied with the statute because it focuses largely on compensation issues, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) proposed an amendment that was aimed at determining legal responsibility for the incident.
DPP lawmakers suggested yesterday that the amendment be put on the legislative agenda so that it could be passed on Friday. They were voted down, however, by pan-blue lawmakers.
The DPP amendment would replace the word "compensation" with "indemnification," and enact a special law entitling 228 Incident victims to seek indemnification from the people who injured them and demand those people face their legal responsibility.
"It's been 60 years [since the incident]. As time goes by, it gets more difficult to investigate [who bears] responsibility. The amendment is imperative, as there will be no forgiveness without truth," DPP Legislator Chen Hsien-Chung (
In October 2005 the government introduced an amendment to the law to replace "compensation" with "indemnification." That amendment has been stalled because of a pan-blue boycott.
DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (
"The KMT and its former chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
KMT legislative whip Tseng Yung-chuan (
"We support changing `compensation' to `indemnification.' But the part about demanding legal responsibility is nothing but a political struggle. It would only cause more ethnic conflict, not bring harmony to society," Tseng said.
He said the party would work to get the long-stalled amendment passed on Friday.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
RSS