Nearly 80 percent of respondents to a poll expressed doubt about the impartiality of judges, while a larger number said they were dissatisfied with judicial reform efforts, a poll released on Friday by National Chung Cheng University’s Crime Research Center showed.
The survey showed that 21.9 percent of respondents said judges conduct trials correctly, down 1.2 percentage points from a previous poll.
The government in August 2017 convened the National Congress on Judicial Reform, but 80.9 percent of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with its efforts.
Photo: Liu Ching-hou, Taipei Times
Asked about countermeasures against false news reports, 81 percent of respondents said they support the government’s use of police and the judiciary, with 49.8 percent expressing strong approval.
Regarding public security, 91.3 percent, a record, said they felt safe in their neighborhoods, while satisfaction regarding public security rose 11.1 percentage points.
The poll showed that 77.5 percent of respondents were satisfied with the performance of police in maintaining public security, also a record, after a crackdown on gangs and weapons in the run-up to the local elections in November last year.
Support for improvements in salaries and welfare for police, firefighters and prison officials was high, with 87.8 percent of respondents approving.
However, when asked about the performance of prosecutors, only 32.3 percent said they were satisfied, including 2.3 percent expressing high satisfaction.
Support for the death penalty was high, with 79.6 percent disagreeing that it should be abolished, including 53 percent who expressed strong disapproval, while 26.6 percent said they disagree, but would be willing to consider other options. Only 15.7 percent supported ending capital punishment.
Meanwhile, 72.6 percent said they were dissatisfied with the government’s performance in tackling corruption, the poll showed.
Regarding the legalization of cannabis, 95.4 percent disagreed that the law should be changed, while 51.4 percent said they were dissatisfied with the government’s performance in drug prevention, but more than half said that fraud prevention was satisfactory.
Asked if they supported rules to make the personal information of sex offenders in their communities public, 72.4 percent said yes, including 45.1 percent who expressed strong approval.
The poll, which was conducted from Jan. 23 to 25, collected 1,802 valid samples and has a margin of error of 2.31 percentage points.
The survey project was convened by center director Yang Shi-lung (楊士隆), with criminology professors Cheng Jui-lung (鄭瑞隆), who is also the dean of student affairs, and Hsu Hua-fu (許華孚) as deputy conveners.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was
RSS