The government is drafting legislation to abolish the death penalty and legitimize gay marriages, a Cabinet official said yesterday.
If the laws are approved by the legislature, Taiwan would be the first country in Asia to legalize marriages among people of the same sex.
Jointly drafted by the Presidential Office and the Cabinet, the proposal is designed to protect basic human rights, the official said.
"More than half of the draft has been completed so far, of which the gradual removal of the death sentence was ratified," he said.
Last October, President Chen Shui-bian (
The Presidential Office said yesterday the move to abolish the death penalty would ensure the right to life to everyone, including convicted criminals.
The government is also seeking to legitimize gay marriages and recognize the right of homosexual couples to adopt children, he said.
"The human rights of homo-sexuals have been gradually recognized by countries around the world," a local newspaper said quoting the Presidential Office.
"To protect their rights, people [of the same sex] should have the right to wed and have a family based on their free will," the paper said.
At present, gays and lesbians are not considered as prospective parents.
The Taiwan Gay and Lesbian Association hailed the legislation which its officials described as an act of "goodwill" from the government.
"It would be our pleasure to see the development. Basically we are positive toward the goodwill from the government," said Chan Ming-chou, an official with the association.
However, Chan told reporters that there was still a long way to go before discrimination against homosexuals ends.
The final draft of the bill is expected to be ready for legislative review in December, the Cabinet official said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
Taiwan next year plans to launch its first nationwide census on elderly people living independently to identify the estimated 700,000 seniors to strengthen community-based healthcare and long-term care services, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said on the sidelines of a healthcare seminar that the nation’s rapidly aging population and declining birthrate have made the issue of elderly people living alone increasingly pressing. The survey, to be jointly conducted by the MOHW and the Ministry of the Interior, aims to establish baseline data and better allocate care resources, he
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