Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (
"The two laws governing this issue are related to one another. We don't think that we should revise the law just because of one particular case," Yu told reporters yesterday, reacting to plans by the DPP, KMT and TSU, to revise the Law on Local Government Systems (
Nineteen city councilors have turned themselves into prosecutors and handed over NT$25 million in bribes. But under the Law on Local Government Systems, councilors are entitled to retain their seats until a final ruling in criminal proceedings, or if they abandon their seats of their own volition.
The appeals process is expected to take a long time, while none of the suspected councilors have expressed an interest in abandoning their seats.
Under the Election and Recall Law, impeachment, which for councilors also results in automatic dismissal, can only be implemented after councilors have been at their posts for longer than one year.
TSU Legislator Su Ying-kwei (
The DPP also decided to amend the Election and Recall Law and Law on Local Government Systems on Thursday.
According to DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬), a member of the DPP's five-man task force on vote-buying, the amended proposal would state that councilors, council speakers and vice-speakers may be impeached if found guilty by a court during the first trial, regardless of whether they have been at their post for a year.
Gao said that the proposal is expected to be completed next Tuesday and the DPP legislative caucus would seek cross-party support.
Yu, however, said that the amendment to unseat councilors who were found guilty during the initial trial would be in excess.
"The amendment would violate the concept that all suspects should be considered innocent until the appeals process has run its course," Yu said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost