The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday appealed to the Control Yuan to investigate the Nov. 3 arrest of Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬), who is protesting her detention with a hunger strike, to stem what they allege is Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) manipulation of the judiciary.
DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) said that the manner in which prosecutors handled Su’s detention disregarded laws and regulations and was in violation of procedural justice.
“Before Su was questioned, prosecutors had already prepared a press release saying they would file a request to detain her. It also hinted that she was involved in bribery … This shows that prosecutors are arresting DPP officials for no reason,” Gao said.
That the court then decided to grant Su bail demonstrated that there was no reason for prosecutors to have arrested Su in the first place, Gao added.
Gao said that he couldn’t help but believe that the decision to detain Su was “under instruction from senior government officials” as the court made a decision later the same day to keep Su in custody following her rejection of the bail terms.
Citing former Examination Yuan president Hsu Shui-teh (?w), a senior KMT official, that “the court is owned by the KMT,” Gao called on the Control Yuan to launch an investigation into Su’s case to prohibit the KMT from using the judiciary for political gain.
Gao was accompanied by Su’s brother, Su Chih-hao (蘇治灝), and Wellington Koo (顧立雄), a lawyer, when filing the appeal. They were received by Lee Ping-nan (李炳南), a Control Yuan member.
Koo said he hoped the Control Yuan would look into possible irregularities and dereliction of duty by the Yunlin District Prosecutors’ Office as it was the only institution able to perform “checks and balances” against any abuse of power by prosecutors.
Meanwhile, in the wake of hunger strikes staged against the judiciary by Su, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Chiayi County Commissioner Chen Ming-wen (陳明文), KMT lawmakers called on the DPP to stop politicizing judicial cases.
KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said that the hunger strikes were all aimed at turning judicial cases into a political issue, alleging that the KMT was taking revenge on the DPP via the judiciary.
“He [Chen Shui-bian] is not a political prisoner. He is involved in legal cases. He has to face the problem squarely. If the case can be resolved by means of a hunger strike, can we be called a democratic country?” Lai said.
KMT Legislator Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) called it “immoral” that Chen Shui-bian should go on hunger strike and issue a 10-point statement on Thursday announcing “the death of the judiciary.”
Hunger strikes by DPP officials had become a “political storm” that would do great damage to the country’s judiciary, said KMT Legislator Tsao Erh-chang (曹爾忠).
“Does the DPP really have the heart to harm the judiciary’s image and independence?” Tsao said.
Whether prosecutors had detained the DPP politicians in order to get confessions, as the DPP has accused, and whether it was appropriate to handcuff Chen Shui-bian were questions worthy of discussion, but that does not give the DPP the right to politicize the cases, Tsao said.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) called on the KMT and the DPP to put economics ahead of politics, as the sluggish economy was an increasingly serious problem.
“I am worried that the confrontation between the pan-blue and pan-green camps will escalate. In view of the economic situation, there is no reason to continue the conflict. Working together to create an environment that boosts the economy is more important,” Wang said.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS