Whether to legalize the sex industry was once again the focus of discussion at the legislature yesterday after the Ministry of the Interior the day before announced its policy direction on the controversial subject.
Following a public hearing on the matter on Wednesday, the ministry said in a statement that most participants were inclined to allow sex workers to work in what it called “independent studios” of three to five people, which would avoid “corporate control” of the sex industry.
The statement said most participants did not want to see the development of red light districts and would rather that certain neighborhoods — such as school zones or areas in the vicinity of religious institutions — be designated by local governments as off-limits to the sex industry.
The ministry has been in serious discussions with various groups and academics about ways to legalize prostitution after the Council of Grand Justices declared a clause in the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) banning -prostitution unconstitutional and said it would become invalid in November next year.
Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said at the Internal Administration Committee meeting yesterday that although the ministry had yet to make a final decision on how the sex industry would evolve after next year, the majority view expressed at a hearing would help shape the policy.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇), however, had doubts about the ministry’s policy direction.
“If you don’t create red light districts, the entire country will become a red light district and it’s going to be a catastrophe,” Wu said. “Do we want all female college graduates who can’t find a job to become ‘studio prostitutes’?”
Wu also said the “studios” could still be controlled by corporate interests.
“Anyone who wants to get into the business could, say, hire 15,000 prostitutes, and set up 5,000 ostensibly independent ‘studios,’ with three women in each,” Wu said.
“That’s still exploitation,” Wu said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ming-wen (陳明文), meanwhile, said the central -government should not ask local governments to designate certain areas off-limits for the sex industry.
“I have been [a two-term] Chiayi County commissioner and I don’t think local governments are able to do the job. The central government should not shirk its responsibilities,” he said.
While there could be -loopholes, Jiang said, legalizing the sex -industry could help improve the situation.
“It’s not like we live in a perfect world and are trying to do immoral things,” the minister said. “The problem [of prostitution] has always existed in society and what we’re trying to do is improve the situation.”
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS