The Transitional Justice Commission has an independent, impartial and objective role, and its mission would not be affected by isolated incidents, a report by Premier William Lai (賴清德) said.
The premier was scheduled to present the report at the Legislative Yuan yesterday, but was unable to do so, as a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) boycott delayed the session.
Lai was referring to allegations that former commission deputy chairman Chang Tien-chin (張天欽) planned to target a KMT candidate, resulting in the resignations of five commission staff, including Chang.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The Executive Yuan established the commission in accordance with the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例) passed by the Legislative Yuan to mend and show solidarity in the face of social rifts caused by the nation’s oppressive past, the report said.
The government swore a solemn oath to Taiwanese to consolidate the nation’s democracy by realizing transitional justice, which is a value that transcends party lines and is shared by all people, it said.
The commission’s independent, impartial and objective role, as well as its mission to publish political files, remove authoritarian symbols, right injustices in the judiciary and establish historical facts would not be changed by isolated incidents, it added.
On efforts to defend the nation’s sovereignty in the face of mounting political and military pressure from China, Lai said that the government has increased its defense budget to demonstrate its resolve to strengthen self-defense.
The government has proposed draft amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法) and the National Security Act (國家安全法) to further this goal, the report said.
The amendments aim to prevent China from gaining control over businesses or stealing key technologies through capital disguised as investment from other nations, the report said.
To ensure social stability, the government would increase efforts to track sources of fake news and impose necessary controls over China’s new residency cards for Taiwanese, it said.
To help companies mitigate potential negative effects of the US’ punitive tariffs against Chinese exports, the Executive Yuan has not ruled out increasing expenditure to cushion local businesses, the report said, adding that it would initiate special projects to help local businesses move their headquarters or production back home.
It would strive to remove investment obstacles by addressing land, water, electricity, talent and staff shortages, which would also facilitate supply chain transitions, it said.
With the nine-in-one elections to be held on Nov. 24, the Executive Yuan has ordered police agencies at all levels to redouble efforts to mitigate undue influence on the elections, the report said.
Priorities include cracking down on vote-buying and the use of violence, as well as dissemination of false information by criminal gangs, external forces, political parties or religious groups, it said.
With the number of candidates and polling stations reaching record highs, the Executive Yuan has asked police to pay special attention to maintaining order at polling stations, as well as any irrational activity after the elections, it said.
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