The Ministry of Justice yesterday said that in addition to judges, prosecutors are also supposed be protected by the "Judge Law", a new law which is being organized by the Judicial Yuan.
The proposed law is aimed at protecting judges and ensuring that they can enforce the law and carry out their duties without any kind of pressure, no matter what the circumstances. The proposed law would also clearly regulate the obligations and rules of the job and the recruitment of judges.
"A lawsuit usually begins from prosecutors' investigation. In a criminal case, if a prosecutor does not indict the suspect, a judge will not have a case to preside over," said Prosecutorial Affairs Department Director Tsai Pi-yu (
"As a result, prosecutors should be protected by the same law and I strongly suggest having prosecutors covered by the new law," Tsai said.
Several judges and lawyers have also emphasized the importance of the proposed law.
Attorney Hsu Wen-bin (
Hsu was Hsinchu City mayor Tsai Jen-chien's (蔡仁堅) legal consultant when Tsai was investigated by prosecutors for his involvement in the Chu Mei-feng's (璩美鳳) sex-VCD case. He is also one of the defense counsels in the Hsichih trio case.
"Judicial Yuan officials should speed up their work on the `judge law' and send it to the Legislative Yuan as soon as possible," Hsu said. "We need a manual to define and protect a judge's work and we can take advantage of such a manual to punish those lazy judges who do not do their jobs well."
Hsu's remarks were echoed by Taiwan High Court Presiding Judge Tsai Jiung-tun (
Tsai presided over the defamation case between former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) wife Tseng Wen-hui (曾文惠) and former New Party lawmakers Elmer Feng (馮滬祥), Hsieh Chi-ta (謝啟大) and the New Party's Chinese Affairs Commission member Tai Chi (戴錡).
Tsai said there is a need for a well-organized means to ensure that police have no obstacles to carrying out their duties, to help officials recruit better judges or prosecutors and retire or punish those who do not perform well.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in