The Taipei District Court has issued its verdict on a case of physical violence that took place in the Legislative Yuan in 1998, but both parties concerned expressed dissatisfaction with the sentence.
Under the verdict issued on Friday, independent Legislator Lo Fu-chu (
Lo yesterday protested what he called "political interference" in the judicial system. Yu, on the other hand, accused the judge of deliberately handing down a light punishment to help the three to avoid imprisonment.
According to the Criminal Code, a person convicted of inflicting bodily injuries can face imprisonment of up to three years. A sentence of fewer than 60 days in prison, however, can be substituted by the payment of a fine.
Lo, a convener of the legislature's Judiciary Committee who also suffered injuries in the scuffle, denounced the verdict as unfair.
"The judicial authorities accepted the one-sided story of Legislator Yu Jan-daw and never examined the videotape recording the entire course of events," Lo said.
"Now the people who injured me remain beyond the reach of the law. Where is the fairness of such a judicial system?" Lo added.
Lo said it had been inappropriate for the judiciary to get involved in the case in the first place, because he said it was a matter concerning the "autonomy" and "self-discipline" of the legislature.
"How come the judicial branch is now siding with the DPP? Does this mean politics comes before the law?" Lo asked.
The incident took place on June 15, 1998, when legislators were reviewing proposed amendments to the Farmers' Association Law (
In the middle of the meeting, some DPP legislators, disagreeing with the way the meeting was being conducted, protested to the chairman and blocked the continuation of the meeting.
Lo later joined the quarrel and started the scuffle, which involved several dozen legislators. Yu was assaulted by Lo, Lin and Chou when he tried to mediate and stop the fight.
Yu said he had filed a suit against the three legislators "because there is absolutely no self-discipline in the legislature."
"The legislature's disciplinary committee has never held a meeting, and that's why I resorted to legal means. Furthermore, physical violence isn't protected by immunity from judicial prosecution enjoyed by lawmakers," Yu said.
Yu said he would file an appeal with the court, as the sentence was too light and insufficient to curb violence in the legislature.
"Since the detention can be replaced by a fine, isn't this a skillful way for the judge to accommodate Lo?" Yu said.
Rejecting Lo's claim that the court had not collected any videotape as evidence, Yu said there were in fact videotapes provided by several TV companies which recorded the entire chain of events.
Yu said that Lo was injured when he was scuffling with other legislators.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS