Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday pledged to launch judicial reforms that would protect human rights and the public interest if elected in January.
However, at a press conference to unveil the DPP presidential candidate’s judicial policy, the media seemed more interested in her opinions on several high profile and controversial cases than her plans for judicial reform.
Tsai chose to sidestep reporters’ questions about whether she would pardon former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who is serving a 17-and-a-half-year sentence, if she becomes president.
The 54-year-old made it clear she would not comment on individual cases, particularly ongoing ones, saying that would be a violation of judicial independence.
Tsai said she was most interested in to what extent the media and political forces exerted influenced over the judiciary and whether the judicial system was able to stay truly independent.
The president should take the lead in judiciary reform, and she would not shy away from that responsibility, Tsai said, adding that she would organize a national conference — the first of its kind since 1999 — by December next year to lay out a roadmap for reform.
“It requires a political process before judiciary reform can take place and that is why the president has to be involved,” she said.
Tsai’s approach is very different from that of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who has always said that the president must remain aloof so as to preserve judicial independence.
Tsai also envisions a “judicial system of the people,” which means public participation would increase, accessibility would improve and the rights of people would be protected.
The appointment, dismissal and evaluation of judicial officials should also be institutionalized and given a legal framework, she said.
Tsai’s campaign maintains that the president’s primary role is to frame a “grand plan” and work on systematic reform, but to stay out of individual cases, said Wellington Koo (顧立雄), an attorney on Tsai’s policy consultation team.
The teaching of law in Taiwan should also be improved, because Taiwanese remain far more interested in the final verdicts than procedural justice and the protection of human rights, he said.
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
Starting on Jan. 1, YouBike riders must have insurance to use the service, and a six-month trial of NT$5 coupons under certain conditions would be implemented to balance bike shortages, a joint statement from transportation departments across Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan announced yesterday. The rental bike system operator said that coupons would be offered to riders to rent bikes from full stations, for riders who take out an electric-assisted bike from a full station, and for riders who return a bike to an empty station. All riders with YouBike accounts are automatically eligible for the program, and each membership account
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
RSS