DPP lawmakers yesterday proposed to penalize PFP Legislators Diane Lee (
Lawmakers from the pan-green camp have turned out in force to defend Twu, saying both of the PFP lawmakers deserved to be chastised for launching accusations before getting any verification of the story.
The scandal began with Lee accusing Twu of forcibly kissing restaurant proprietor Cheng Ko-jung (
After the story broke, Yang said a cleaning lady claimed to have witnessed Twu having sexual relations with female colleagues at the office, but provided no evidence.
When asked by the media later on, Yang back-peddled, saying the accusations were "based on hearsay."
DPP Legislator Chiu Yung-jen (
What makes the matter worse, he added, is that Yang is not remorseful for her irresponsible conduct, which has made the entire legislature suffer from the shame.
DPP Legislator Peter Lin (林進興) said that by initiating the motion, he would like to raise a warning: That is, he wants to warn lawmakers that they must not make reckless accusations and point fingers before solid evidence is found.
Lin said the proposal will be passed at the procedural committee today, and will be handed into the discipline committee for further review.
Despite of the apologies by Lee and Cheng, Twu has decided to file a lawsuit against the two accusers as well as media outlets that had failed to report impartially during the incident.
Disagreeing with part of the public opinions, which called upon Twu to show mercy on the two and withdraw the case, DPP Legislators Julian Kuo (
They argued it would be helpful to society if Twu called off the case, only if he insisted the trial would teach people to realize the importance to discipline their freedom of speech.
TSU lawmakers yesterday reached an agreement to initiate the proposals to limit lawmakers' powers of immunity and to halve their salaries.
TSU legislators said the public is fed up with lawmakers abusing their freedom of speech.
That's why the party feels the urgency to reduce the number of legislators. The party also wants to cut legislators' paychecks in half to prevent more social resources from being wasted by lawmakers.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
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