The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday questioned President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) motives in putting Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming’s (黃世銘) resignation on hold for 11 days.
Huang tendered his resignation on March 21, hours after the Taipei District Court found him guilty and sentenced him to 14 months in prison for leaking confidential information to Ma about a controversial probe into claims of undue influence on the judiciary involving Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) in September last year.
“It has been 11 days and Ma has not approved Huang Shih-ming’s resignation. We would like to know whether Ma is trying to evade his responsibility in the case or to cover up Huang Shih-ming’s crime,” DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) told a news conference.
Since Huang’s four-year tenure expires on April 18, he would likely be able to serve out his full term and “honorably retire” if his resignation is not approved by that time, Lin said.
Huang Yueh-hong (黃越宏), a former journalist, yesterday filed a lawsuit at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office against Ma and the prosecutor-general, saying that Ma’s inaction in approving the resignation would allow Huang Shih-ming to keep receiving a salary and supervising prosecutors around the country.
Ma approved the resignation of former prosecutor-general Chen Tsung-ming (陳聰明), who also resigned before his term expired over a political controversy, on the same day Chen announced his resignation, Huang Yueh-hong said.
Since Huang Shih-ming has publicly announced his resignation, he should not be allowed to continue supervising prosecutors and receiving a salary and special allowance, Huang Yueh-hong said.
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
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex