■ LEGISLATURE
No resolution on Kuan
The legislature said a resolution by the Education and Culture Committee to discipline Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) required further cross-party negotiation after the DPP caucus blocked the resolution in the plenary session yesterday. The committee resolved on Oct. 23 to refer Kuan to the Disciplinary Committee after she allegedly slapped Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) in the face during a meeting the previous day. Media reports said Kuan took action because Hung had poked her assistant in the eye when Hung angrily pushed away a poster during the education committee’s preliminary review of the budget for the National Science Council. Kuan may be obliged to issue an oral or written apology or have her legislative rights suspended by between three and six months if the legislature approves the resolution.
■ POLITICS
DPP picks Lin for Taichung
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday that former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) would represent the party in next year’s Taichung mayoral election. Tsai said the party decided to recruit Lin after former DPP legislator Hsieh Ming-yuan (謝明源), who had earlier expressed his interest in running next year, backed out. Tsai lauded Lin’s rich experience as a public servant, adding that he has been staying in Taichung to prepare for the campaign. Tsai said the party believed Lin was the best candidate to run for the post.
■ POLITICS
KMT restores members
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Evaluation and Discipline Committee earlier this month restored the party rights of four legislators who were suspended for barging into the office of former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) during the presidential campaign in March. The four KMT legislators, Alex Fai (費鴻泰), Chen Chieh (陳杰), Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才) and Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾), were accused of trespassing and clashing with Hsieh’s supporters. The KMT decided to suspended their party rights for one year as punishment. However, committee head Juan Kang-meng (阮剛猛) confirmed yesterday that the rights of the four lawmakers were restored ahead of time. “The four legislators have performed well at work and have been well-behaved during this period,” Juan said. He said that some KMT central standing committee members proposed reviving the four’s party rights, and the committee agreed to do so after serious consideration.
■ ECONOMY
DPP blasts China policies
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) warned yesterday that the government’s quick action to lift restrictions on China-bound businesses could result in capital flight of NT$800 billion (US$24.1 billion). DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) told a press conference that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had taken advantage of the recession to make Taiwan overdependent on China and increase capital outflow across the Strait. After the nation emerges from a recession, Taiwan would have lost its economic independence, Lai said. Saying that the government’s 10 financial deregulatory policies have led to capital flight of NT$150 billion, the caucus estimated that if Taiwan’s 1,200-plus listed firms were to expand their investments in China following the easing of restrictions, it would result in another NT$650 billion flowing to China.
■ HEALTH
Control Yuan slams DOH
The Control Yuan yesterday reprimanded the Department of Health (DOH) over its handling of issues associated with melamine-contaminated products from China. Milk powder imported from China was in September found to contain the toxic chemical melamine, which has since also been found in other Chinese products. The Control Yuan said the DOH had failed to implement a food safety mechanism capable of detecting contaminated food products, had been inconsistent in setting up a standard for permissible levels of melamine, failed to clearly explain to the public why the safety limit for the chemical had been set at 2.5 parts per million and had been negligent in establishing a standard operational procedure to deal with major food safety incidents.
■ CRIME
Judge accused of gambling
The Control Yuan yesterday impeached Hsu Hung-chi (徐宏志), a judge in the Tainan branch of the Taiwan High Court, for his alleged involvement in gambling. The Control Yuan said Hsu played mahjong 100 days per year and had played with former Tainan County Council deputy speaker Chou Wu-liu (周五六) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in May and June, 2001, when Chou was being reviewed by the court on corruption charges. The Control Yuan said this violated the Civil Servants Work Act (公務人員服務法) and the guidelines for courts.
■ SOCIETY
Film festival in Kaohsiung
This year’s Women Make Waves Film Festival moved to Kaohsiung yesterday for a six-day run during which 10 films by Taiwanese and foreign female directors will be screened. The films will be shown at the Kaohsiung Film Archive, and will be followed by panel discussions.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
RSS