Several civic groups yesterday urged the legislature to pass sunshine bills and establish an independent commission against corruption as soon as possible.
At a joint press conference, the Taipei Society, Transparency International Taiwan (TI-Taiwan) and the Judicial Reform Foundation highlighted the need for bills such as a lobby law, a party law and amendments to the Legislators' Conduct Act (立法委員行為法) and the Public Officials' Conflicts of Interest Prevention Act (公職人員利益衝突迴避法) to be passed.
The president of the Taipei Society, Hawang Shiow-duan (
The battle against corruption, however, involves changes to the government, the judicial system and politicians' own actions, Hawang said.
She said her organization and the other groups believe it is imperative for the government to establish an independent commission against corruption in order to restore the people's confidence in the government.
TI-Taiwan's chief executive officer, Chilik Yu (
Ku Chung-hua (顧忠華), a Taipei Society executive, said that all political parties, ruling or in the opposition, should review their approach to combating graft.
The three groups said they would evaluate legislators based on how much they do to get the sunshine bills passed and would announce the results next year.
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
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Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass
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