Minister Without Portfolio Lo Ying-shay (羅瑩雪), who was named minister of justice yesterday, said that just because she has no experience as a judge or prosecutor did not mean she was unqualified for the position.
Speaking to reporters after the Executive Yuan issued a statement announcing her appointment, Lo said she was prepared to sign execution orders when necessary.
A justice minister should not have any personal views on the death penalty, Lo said, adding that a justice minister is obliged to follow the law when signing execution orders.
Photo: CNA
Lo will replace Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫), who said he was forced to resign earlier this month by Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) for allegedly unduly taking the role of prosecution in allegations over improper lobbying involving Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平). Tseng denies any impropriety.
In the statement, the Executive Yuan praised Lo for her “uprightness, proactiveness and dedication to promoting human rights.”
The Executive Yuan said it was confident that Lo will be able to defend judicial independence and align the development of human rights with international standards after she takes up the position.
Lo, born in 1951, holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Albany, State University of New York, and has been known to have a close relationship with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
She was a year behind Ma at National Taiwan University’s College of Law and joined a movement in the US against Japan’s territorial claim to the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in the early 1970s, of which Ma was a leader.
When Ma was accused in 2007 of misusing his special allowance funds during his two terms as mayor of Taipei, Lo, a lawyer, represented Yu Wen (余文), then a Taipei City Government staffer who handled reimbursements for the allowance, in defending Ma’s name.
Lo denied that her relationship with Ma dated back to National Taiwan University, saying that they did not get to know each other until they both became involved in the Protect Diaoyutai Islands Movement in the US.
After her appointment was announced, criticism was raised because of her lack of experience within the Ministry of Justice and because she has not served as a judge or a prosecutor.
In response to reporters’ questions, Lo said she first turned down the position, telling Jiang that she lacked experience.
However, Jiang did not consider that a problem and convinced her to prioritize national interests and consider the overall situation, Lo said.
Saying that the duty ahead of her “is certainly going to be very heavy,” Lo added that she was “not worried” because the Ministry of Justice has an abundance of talented staff members.
Lo was appointed minister of the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission in 2011 and simultaneously served as a minister without portfolio in charge of coordinating policies related to the judicial system, police, households and Hakka and Aboriginal affairs.
Following the death of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘) in July, allegedly due to mistreatment by his superiors, Lo was assigned to coordinate efforts among government agencies to end the military court martial system and to lead the Executive Yuan’s Military Injustice Petitions Committee to review cases of miscarriages of justice.
Lo will be the third justice minister in the Ma administration.
Tseng replaced Wang Ching-feng (王清峰), who resigned in 2010 over her refusal to sign execution orders. During his tenure, Tseng signed execution orders for 21 death penalty inmates.
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