Cabinet officials said yesterday that a special law would soon be drafted to manage the assets of political parties and mandate the return of illegally obtained properties to the state.
Such a law was entirely in keeping with the Constitution, the officials said. They said the law would be drafted by the Ministry of Justice and would be sent to the Legislative Yuan during its next session for approval.
At a press conference yesterday, Minister of State Hsu Chih-hsiung (
"The KMT did not clearly separate itself from the government. It registered state-own properties under its name and accepted donations of land and buildings from governments at different levels [the provincial government down to township level]," Hsu said.
Responding to reporters' questions, Hsu said the timing of the announcement of the proposed law had nothing to do with the Dec. 1 elections.
Hsu said that the Cabinet's investigation of KMT assets was actually a follow-up of three cases investigated by the Control Yuan that involved KMT properties. Those cases revolved around the ownership of 114 buildings and the ownership and operation rights of 19 theaters that were confiscated from the Japanese colonial regime, as well as 86 plots of land and 37 buildings that were inappropriately given to the party by various local governments and the provincial government.
However, Hsu said the Cabinet would throughly review all of the KMT's assets rather than just those involved in the three cases investigated by the Control Yuan.
"The drafting of a special law is aimed at creating an environment for fair competition among political parties and to strengthen the foundation and the sound development of constitutional government," Hsu said.
After all, he said, a party should aim at political participation rather than trying to turn a profit by running enterprises.
Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶), director of the ministry's Department of Legal Affairs, told the press conference that the creation of a law to manage the assets of political parties was feasible and constitutional.
Chen outlined some of the major elements of the proposed statute. It would provide for the establishment of an independent body to investigate parties' properties and detail the organizational make-up and duties of such a body, he said.
Other elements of the legislation would define the categories of party property that would be subject to investigation and would bar a party from disposing of its assets during an investigation, unless approved by the investigative body.
The legislation would prescribe punishments for parties that violated the law as well as outlining how party properties could be returned to the state.
"The disposal of the party properties would strictly conform to the public's interests," Chen said.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is set to issue sea and land warnings for Tropical Storm Krathon as projections showed that the tropical storm could strengthen into a typhoon as it approaches Taiwan proper, the CWA said yesterday. The sea warning is scheduled to take effect this morning and the land warning this evening, it said. The storm formed yesterday morning and in the evening reached a point 620 nautical miles (1,148km) southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, moving west-southwest at 4 kph as it strengthened, the CWA said. Its radius measured between 220km and 250km, it added. Krathon is projected
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