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.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the