The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved the nomination of Yen Da-ho (顏大和) as prosecutor-general of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, without ballots from the opposition parties. Yen was put forward by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) last month.
The nomination was approved by 62 affirmative votes, reaching a majority in the 112-seat legislature.
None of the Democratic Progressive Party legislators cast ballots, with the party caucus stating that the party was not willing to endorse Ma’s nomination.
The Taiwan Solidarity Union also abstained from casting ballots. The 62 approval votes were from 61 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators and one independent.
Yen was nominated last month to replace former prosecutor-general Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘), who played a controversial role in the so-called “September political strife” last year between Ma and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) after he met with the president before publicly announcing the result of a Special Investigation Division investigation and authorizing a series of wiretaps.
After his nomination was approved, Yen said that human rights should be respected in future prosecutors’ criminal investigations.
“Prosecutors will step up efforts to crack down on bribery in the seven-in-one elections in November, and the Special Investigation Division will continue to look into judges and prosecutors who are suspected of taking bribes,” Yen said.
In response to media queries on students and members of the public facing criminal investigations into the Sunflower movement and related rallies, Yen said: “The law punishes lawbreakers, regardless of their status.”
Meanwhile, Judicial Reform Foundation executive director Kao Jung-chih (高榮志) issued a statement requesting Yen to make a public pledge that he would adhere to the Constitution and not brief details of any ongoing investigations to the president and that he would only meet with the president at public occasions.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
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