The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP) yesterday nominated nine members to a committee investigating the March 19 assassination attempt, while the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its ally Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) refused to participate.
According to the March 19 Shooting Truth Investigation Special Committee Statute (三一九槍擊事件真相調查特別委員會條例), the committee must consist of 17 members drawn from outside the legislature, the Control Yuan or other government agencies and state-run businesses.
Based on legislative proportions, the DPP can appoint six members, the KMT five, the PFP four, the TSU one and the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU) one.
All the nominees must be finalized and appointed by President Chen Shui-bian (
The nine members nominated by the pan-blue alliance include former Judicial Yuan president Shih Chi-yang (施啟揚), former Control Yuan members Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) and Chai Chung-chuan (翟宗泉), former Investigation Bureau director Wang Kuang-yu (王光宇), former grand justice Cheng Chien-tsai (鄭建才), former vice minister of national defense Chen Chao-mi (陳肇敏) and former representative to the US Stephen Chen (陳錫蕃).
The others are Fang Chung-min (方中民), a consultant to the Ministry of Justice's Institute of Forensic Medicine and Yu Yue-tang (
The NPSU nominated attorney Luo Ming-tung (
The DPP and TSU have made it clear that they will not take part in the committee because they believe the legislation establishing it is unconstitutional and tramples on the authority of judicial and prosecutorial officials.
DPP legislative caucus convenor Ker Chien-ming (
DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (
The KMT and the PFP also suggested yesterday that the commission hold its first meeting next Monday.
Tseng Yung-chuan (
PFP Legislator Chou Hsi-wei (
"I hope President Chen and the DPP aren't afraid of nominating committee members since they're in favor of an investigation committee, albeit one led by Control Yuan President Fredrick Chien (
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
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
SOVEREIGNTY: The rigs show that Beijing ‘rejects Taiwan’s jurisdiction’ by building in areas where Taipei demands permission to build or alter installations Chinese oil rigs have been sighted just 26 nautical miles (42km), from Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), posing a threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty if left unchallenged, a brief published by the Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday said. Pratas Island, 444km from Kaohsiung, is northeast of the South China Sea and houses a Taiwanese garrison. The brief, titled “Rigging the Game: PRC Oil Structures Encroach on Taiwan’s Pratas Island” — referring to the People’s Republic of China — analyzed photographs and said that Beijing’s tools to pressure Taiwan now include oil rigs. “Oil rigs now constitute part of Beijing’s
RSS