■ Legislation
Lottery rules tightened
The legislature passed an amendment yesterday tightening the rules governing "public welfare lotteries." The law previously stipulated that lottery surpluses could only be spent on subsidies for national pensions, the national health insurance reserve and other social welfare or charity programs. However, some of the surpluses had been used to subsidize programs already funded by regular government budgets, duplicating services and wasting resources, said Democratic Progressive Legislator Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋), who initiated the amendment. The amendment stipulates that public welfare lottery funds may only go toward social welfare expenditures that are not already funded. It also changes the composition of supervisory committees responsible for allocating the surplus at both the central and local levels such that they must be comprised of government officials, experts and representatives from social welfare groups, with government officials making up not more than one-half of the seats. Major decisions must be made with a quorum comprised of not less than two-thirds of all committee members, and agreement of not less than half of all those who are present.
■ Legislation
Land restrictions eased
The legislature yesterday passed a bill easing restrictions on the use of 230,000 lots totaling 40,000 hectares in a bid to boost the real estate market. The Ministry of the Interior estimated that the total market value of the land could reach as high as NT$6 trillion (US$182 billion). "The passage of the bill will be a huge incentive to the real estate industry and will help local governments increase their revenue from the collection of land value increment tax," the ministry said. The plots of land were restricted from development because of controversy over their registration of "right of superficies," a problem left over from when Japan handed Taiwan over to the Republic of China.
■ Legislation
Addicts with AIDS get help
Drug addicts who have HIV or AIDS will no longer be excluded from addiction treatment centers, according to an amendment passed by the legislature yesterday. The legislation that regulates drug addiction treatment previously said that treatment centers should not accept drug abusers with statutory and government-designated infectious diseases or AIDS. The Ministry of Justice proposed the amendment out of concern that the rise in AIDS cases is closely connected to that of drug abuse because many drug users catch the disease through sharing needles.
■ Society
Henry Lee honored in US
The University of New Haven honored forensic expert Henry Lee (李昌鈺) by naming a college after him on Thursday. Speaking at the christening ceremony of the Henry Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, Lee jokingly said that he joined the university in 1975 because the students had discerning eyes. Lee helped found the Connecticut university's forensic science program, which has since gained fame, attracting students from all over the US and nearly 40 countries over the past three decades. The college also has exchange and cooperation programs with police and education departments in Taiwan, China and Italy. Lee was born in China and grew up in Taiwan. When he and his wife arrived in the US in 1965, he had only US$50 and hardly knew any English, Lee has said.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai