Taiwan moved one step closer to the abolition of capital punishment yesterday after Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) proposed that the death penalty be gradually phased out and replaced by life imprisonment without parole.
The Ministry of Justice will propose the amendment to the Criminal Code (刑法) introducing the new penalty as part of a broader package including educational and legal aid to victims of violent crime within one year, Tseng said in the legislature.
However, the minister also said that the first execution of one of the 44 inmates currently on death row would most likely take place before the end of the year after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators expressed concern over the delay.
The government has not carried out a death sentence since 2005.
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said that a number of concerns have been raised as to whether death penalty inmates might be pardoned by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) during the nation’s centennial celebrations next year.
Meanwhile, KMT lawmakers also called on the ministry to consider allowing life imprisonment without parole and capital punishment to co-exist, giving judges an additional sentencing choice.
Recent opinion polls show that seven out of 10 Taiwanese are opposed to the abolition of the death penalty, an issue that Tseng promised to address, saying that he was not opposed to holding a referendum on the subject.
Despite taking steps toward abolition, the ministry has so far declined to confirm whether it would also propose revisions to the Criminal Code such as removing capital punishment entirely.
Speaking on the issue, Tseng said that there was no timetable, adding that the ministry “could not move” until some sort of public consensus is reached.
Meanwhile, during the legislative hearing, Tseng also proposed that the ministry establish a new type of prison facility designed specifically to house those sentenced to life without parole, citing differences in the management of different types of inmates and the need to prevent prison overcrowding.
“Our position is that we need to deal with current cases according to what already exists in the law books. However, it remains our goal to gradually reduce the use of capital punishment through the use of substitute sentencing,” Tseng said.
A panel held by the ministry late last month came to the conclusion that several laws, including those protecting crime victims and beefing up public security, would have to be passed before Taiwan moves to give up capital punishment.
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
Taiwan’s coffee community has launched a “one-person-one-e-mail” campaign, calling for people to send a protest-e-mail to the World Coffee Championships (WCC) urging it to redesignate Taiwanese competitors as from “Taiwan,” rather than “Chinese Taipei.” The call followed sudden action last week after the WCC changed all references to Taiwanese competitors from “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei,” including recent World Latte Art champion Bala (林紹興), who won the World Latte Art Championship in San Diego earlier this month. When Bala received the trophy, he was referred to as representing Taiwan, as well as in the announcement on the WCC’s Web site, until it
RSS