The Northern Taiwan Society spoke out yesterday in support of Cabinet Spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey's (
"Back in the White Terror era, more than 90 percent of the judges and prosecutors were members of the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT], which was ridiculous," Chin Heng-wei (金恆煒), vice chairman of the society, said at a press conference in Taipei.
Under the KMT regime, the judiciary was controlled by the KMT, he said. As the Democratic Progressive Party government is now seeking transitional justice, it is natural for the government to ask judges and prosecutors to remain neutral, he said.
"In the US, judges must reveal their party affiliations. I do not understand why judges in Taiwan would fear such a request," he said.
Constitution Reform Alliance convener Allen Houng (
"Everybody knows that there are more `biased' cases in the military," Hung said. "Military judicial personnel should contribute to the transitional justice effort as well, as the government seeks to build an independent justice system."
The director-general of the Judicial Reform Foundation, Lin Feng-jeng (林峰正), said it was normal for judges or prosecutors to become a member of a party during the authoritarian era, but it was important to determine whether they did so voluntarily or upon demands from their superiors.
"In the White Terror era, a qualified judge or a prosecutor would not have been able to work if he or she did not join the KMT. These people may be innocent," Lin said. "All we are asking for now is that our judiciary stay completely neutral."
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
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