Control Yuan President Fredrick Chien (
Chien has consulted with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Kao Yu-jen (
All four legislators are qualified lawyers with strong legal background.
Chien has also interviewed members of the Control Yuan with a legal background, as well as administrative experience.
While the two legislators from the pan-green camp have confirmed that they were approached by Chien and have expressed their willingness to participate in the committee's activities, Chen seemed inclined to reject the invitation due to the PFP's concern that there is no legal basis for the formation of the committee.
The PFP legislative caucus meanwhile urged all legislators to decline committee membership and said it would consider recommending Vice President Annette Lu (
The statute governing the committee was proposed by the pan-blue camp, and will be put to the vote in August.
Kao could not be reached for comment yesterday, but the KMT legislative caucus said it was opposed to the committee starting work before the statue had been passed.
A top KMT official said that several lawmakers from across party lines were opposing legislators' participation in the committee to prevent it from becoming an arena for political strife and bickering.
The official said that the statute might be amended to exclude legislators' participation in the committee.
Although Chien has already started giving shape to the committee, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"Chien told me that the committee would operate according to the law, and there would not be two committees," Wang said.
He said that Chien had contacted him yesterday morning to discuss committee affairs.
"Although Chien has started consulting with certain candidates, this is only his private capacity. Since the statute governing the committee has not been passed, it is still unknown how the members will be chosen, and Chien's efforts now may turn out to be for naught in the end," Wang said.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
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