Three Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) officials who were indicted for contempt of authority refused to appear at their first court hearing yesterday because the party said the charges are unconstitutional and constitute a breach of freedom of speech.
Chen Chang-hui (陳昌輝), the TSU’s Tainan City branch director, TSU Department of Organization deputy director Chou Ni-an (周倪安) and TSU deputy caucus director Liu Kuo-lung (劉國隆) were accused and indicted on charges of contempt of authority after they called the Supreme Prosecutor Office’s Special Investigation Division (SID) “SID pigs” at a protest in May last year.
The demonstration was held to protest increases in fuel and electricity prices, and to demand that the SID probe potential corruption at state-owned Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) and CPC Corp, Taiwan.
“This charge — which only has a place in a feudal society and violates human rights — was used by the SID as a tool to suppress freedom of speech,” TSU Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) told a press conference.
If President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is serious about Taiwan complying with the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN International Covenant on Social and Cultural Rights — which his adminastration signed in 2009 — and the Constitution, the government should not press charges against people for criticizing the government, Lin said.
Lawyer Kao Yung-cheng (高涌誠) said political commentary and speech should enjoy the highest degree of protection because people are supposed to monitor the government, adding that the court should suspend judgement and demand a constitutional interpretation.
The three officials have said they never expected they would be indicted for something they said during a protest of government policy.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner