Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chung Hsiao-ping (鍾小平) yesterday brought legal charges against five New Power Party (NPP) legislators for allegedly vandalizing the Legislative Yuan, which the Taipei City Government has designated as a historic building. He also brought charges against Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) for allegedly obstructing a public officer in the course of performing their duties.
As yesterday was a Saturday, the bailiff on duty at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office told Chung that they would deliver his charges to the office tomorrow.
Accompanied by Taipei Department of Culture officials, Chung went to the legislature on Friday afternoon to inspect the doors of the legislative chamber. NPP Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) had earlier in the day shattered the windows in the doors, which he had then sealed with chains.
Photo: CNA
Chung was denied entry, which prompted him to bring charges against Su and Lin for obstructing a city councilor while discharging their duties.
Chung also brought charges against the other four NPP lawmakers: Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸), Freddy Lim (林昶佐) and Kawlo Iyun Pacidal, and said that while he respects the NPP lawmakers’ right to express their opinions, they should not have vandalized a historic building.
The Legislative Yuan has been designated as a city-level historic site, and Hsu’s actions violated articles 103 and 105 of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法), which is punishable by a prison term of six months to five years, in addition to a fine of between NT$500,000 (US$16,936) and NT$20 million.
Separately, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators set up a guard in shifts at the legislative chamber to ensure that the DPP caucus is the first to file motions ahead of a plenary session tomorrow.
DPP legislators Wang Ding-yu (王定宇), Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃), Karen Yu (余宛如) and Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) guarded the chamber’s doors while they had breakfast yesterday morning.
The shifts were a “necessary defensive tactic,” DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said.
At 10am, Presidential Office Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) visited the DPP lawmakers outside the legislative chamber to boost their morale.
Wu said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who also doubles as DPP chairperson, asked him to send the hard-working DPP lawmakers her regards.
He also called on the five NPP lawmakers to return to the legislative chamber to discuss how the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) can be amended to best serve workers’ interests.
The NPP lawmakers had been on a hunger strike in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei since 6:15pm on Friday to protest the DPP caucus sending proposed amendments to the act with a majority vote.
They were still fasting at press time last night.
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