Two lawmakers were left with facial injuries yesterday after a quarrel over a budget issue turned violent.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Chao-jung (陳朝容) punched Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Hsien-chung (陳憲中) in the legislature's Organic Laws and Statutes Committee. The two lawmakers began grappling with each other, and were twice briefly interrupted when they were pulled apart by other lawmakers.
After the scuffle, Chen Chao-jung's eyes appeared red and swollen, while Chen Hsien-chung was left with scratches and blood beneath his right eye and near the corners of his mouth.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
The committee had gathered to review part of the Ministry of Civil Service's budget for last year, which has been frozen for a year by pan-blue lawmakers in the committee.
Speaking in opposition to the ministry's request to release the budget, Chen Chao-jung said that the ministry had actually implemented the budget without the legislature's consent.
"I urged the committee not to unfreeze the budget, as the ministry totally disregarded the legislature's resolution to freeze the budget," Chen Chao-jung said.
Chen Hsien-chung then walked up to Chen Chao-jung and shouted at him: "How could you be so defiant? You are the wildest lawmaker in the legislature!"
Although Chen Chao-jung started the scuffle, he said that Chen Hsien-chung had attacked him with "unwholesome words."
Later yesterday, the committee decided to keep the budget frozen until lawmakers reach consensus on the bill to reform the pension system for retired government employees.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
Central and southern Taiwan are to see increasingly heavy rainfall from last night through Friday due to the effects of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said Tropical Storm Co-May had weakened into a low-pressure system on Saturday, but that it strengthened again into a tropical depression (TD 11) near the seas around Japan's Ryukyu Islands due to favorable environmental conditions. The tropical depression is expected to persist for two to three days, moving west-northwest by this afternoon and reaching China's Zhejiang through the East China Sea tomorrow,
RSS