Two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday clashed with former New Party legislator Elmer Fung (馮滬祥) over whether he should remain a counselor to the Legislative Yuan now that he has been charged with sexual assault.
According to Legislative Yuan regulations, former lawmakers can be hired as unsalaried counselors, who may enter the Legislative Yuan freely.
Fung was accused of raping his former Filipina maid on Nov. 1, and a decision on the case is pending.
Two DPP female lawmakers, Tang pi-o (唐碧娥) and Chou Ya-shu (周雅淑), yesterday expressed unhappiness that Fung was continuing to enjoy the status of counselor and demanded that regulations be amended so that a person with a criminal conviction cannot serve as a counselor to the Legislative Yuan.
Tang said a counselor to the Legislative Yuan could move about within and use the resources of the legislature.
"But there are no restrictions within the regulations, and even the fugitive Wu Tze-yuan (伍澤元) retains his title of counselor. This is pretty strange," Tang said. "Do we need a rapist as our counselor?"
Chou said that female legislative employees may feel uncomfortable or even frightened when "people like Fung" were walking around the Legislative Yuan.
"To prevent former lawmakers involved in criminal cases from continuing as counselors to the Legislative Yuan, we should amend the regulations so that criminals cannot be hired as counselors, or else if counselors commit a crime, then their title should be removed," Chou said.
Fung later entered the Legislative Yuan to hold a press conference in his defense. When he ran into Tang, the two yelled at each other, later joined by DPP Legislator Cheng Chao-ming (鄭朝明), who was holding his own press conference nearby.
DPP lawmakers demanded that Fung leave the Legislative Yuan, and he was escorted out by police.
Speaking outside the Legislative Yuan, Fung said the DPP lawmakers were violating his rights because his case was still being heard by the court.
"I believe in my own innocence and the impartiality of the judges, so I won't make any assumptions," Fung said, when asked about the DPP lawmakers' demand that his counselor status be revoked.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS