Opposition lawmakers yesterday slammed President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), saying he had shirked responsibility by insisting he was not aware of Supreme Court Judge Shao Yen-ling’s (邵燕玲) controversial ruling in a sexual assault case before nominating her to the Council of Grand Justices.
Ma apologized yesterday for his initial nomination of Shao for a seat on the Council of Grand Justices on Thursday after a public outcry over a controversial ruling handed down by a collegial panel led by Shao last year on the sexual assault of a three-year-old girl.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) blasted Ma’s defense as an attempt to “shirk responsibility.”
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
“Ma’s remarks were unacceptable,” Gao told a press conference. “Just because Shao did not tell Ma [about her controversial ruling] and Ma did not know does not mean Ma was not in the wrong.”
DPP Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) said Ma himself chose the wrong person and yet he was letting Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), who headed the special task force recommending and screening candidates, shoulder the responsibility.
Saying the incident showed a lack of thoroughness in the screening process for the nomination, Gao suggested all Council of Grand Justices nominees be reconsidered.
The DPP caucus added that changing a nominee and offering apologies are not enough, asking the Ma government to make clear what went wrong in the nomination process.
If Ma failed to clear up the matter, it is the president himself who should be replaced, the lawmakers said.
In reference to the so-called “dinosaur” judges deemed unfit for the positions, DPP Deputy -Secretary-General Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) called the Ma administration “an administration of dinosaurs.”
DPP Legislator Wang Sing-nan (王幸男) also ridiculed Ma’s choices of nominees, saying he might as well nominate singer Lotus Wang (王彩樺), who could at least give the people a semblance of hope by singing her song Bo Peep Bo Peep (有唱有保庇), which is about asking deities for protection and good luck.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
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