In a bid to deter people from driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs, lawmakers yesterday passed an amendment to the Criminal Code that could see repeat offenders sentenced to life in prison.
The Executive Yuan in March unveiled a proposal that would allow a court to sentence repeat DUI offenders to death, which the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus toned down ahead of yesterday’s plenary session.
The amended act stipulates that people or military personnel who have been convicted of DUI under the Criminal Code or the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法) and have received a deferred sentence or parole, but who again drive under the influence of alcohol or narcotics within five years and kill someone, could face a prison term of five years to life.
Photo: CNA
Repeat DUI offenders who fit the criteria and cause serious injuries to others as a result of their actions face a prison term of three to 10 years, the amendment says.
A person who kills or injures someone while driving drunk, and is proven to have committed the crime intentionally, as defined in the Criminal Code, would be tried according to the articles in the code that cover homicide or causing bodily harm, it says.
However, the penalties for first-time DUI offenders remain unchanged — a maximum prison term of two years and a potential fine of NT$100,000.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers accused the DPP caucus, which has the legislative majority, of putting on a show.
KMT caucus whip Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), whose version of the amendment included the death penalty for first-time offenders, extended prison terms and raised fines, said that the legislation would not provide consolation for the families of those killed by DUI offenders.
The DPP had backpedaled on its stance that “DUI was no different from murder,” he said, quoting Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said he regretted the outcome.
He lambasted the DPP for not stiffening penalties for first-time DUI offenders, as it meant the ruling party had not done enough to meet public expectations.
He said he was frustrated that the DPP caucus had vetoed the NPP’s proposal that DUI offenders be required to complete compulsory rehabilitation or counseling.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from