The legislature yesterday refused to take up a proposal to turn PFP lawmaker Diane Lee (
DPP Legislator Peter Lin (
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"The bill will be set aside due to protest [from PFP lawmakers]," ruled Vice Legislative Speaker Chiang Ping-kun (
Under legislative rules, opposition from a single lawmaker suffices to block the introduction of any extraordinary bills.
Lin said he would ask his colleagues to endorse his initiative and file it through regular procedures next week.
"The legislature will have trouble defending its decision today if the court finds Lee guilty of libel later," he said.
Earlier, Twu, acting head of the Department of Health, filed libel suits against Lee and her constituent Cheng Ko-jung (
The two had mistakenly accused Twu of making forceful sexual advances on Cheng during a KTV party on Aug. 6.
Lin said he will carry on with the campaign to punish Lee and her PFP colleague Yang Fu-mei (
Yang said she could not provide any evidence of the sexual encounter as she learned of it through the grapevine.
TSU lawmaker Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) said that malignant rumormongers such as Lee and Yang should be punished. He noted that the legislature stood behind Lee when she was physically attacked by former independent colleague Lo Fu-chu (羅福助) in March last year.
"Lo Fu-chu was later suspended from the legislature for six months. Now Lee should face the consequences of her mistake in a gracious manner," the TSU legislator said.
Lee, while apologetic, has showed no intention of stepping down in the face or pressure to do so.
She did not make any public appearances yesterday. Aides said she was making preparations for a court hearing today.
Observers say it is unlikely for the legislature to adopt any disciplinary measures against Lee, as her party and the KMT have vowed to kill any such proposal.
Together, the two caucuses enjoy a slight edge, 19-17, in the Procedure Committee where the legislative calendar is decided.
PFP Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華), elder brother of Diane Lee, said his sister, gripped by a deep sense of guilt, has slept very little for the past week. He called on her critics to be forgiving, saying his sister is generally recognized as one of Taiwan's best lawmakers.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
RSS