Minister of Justice Morley Shih (
Shih said the ministry would hold a meeting in a month to solicit the views of experts and to discuss whether caning should be introduced as a form of punishment, particularly for convicted rapists, based on a variety of factors such as human rights protection and social values.
His comments came in response to a suggestion made by several legislators last week that serial rapists should be caned in addition to serving prison terms as a means of remedying their deviant behavior.
The legislators made the suggestion in the wake of the rape of a medical student who was abducted near the MRT's Jientan Station in Shilin on March 11. Two suspects have been arrested, one of whom is also suspected of raping a 60-year-old female taxi driver shortly before his arrest last Saturday.
Shih said the ministry would also decide within a month whether the three-month assessment period for electronic monitoring of paroled rapists should be shortened to less than two weeks.
Last November the ministry approved a decree requiring paroled rapists to wear electronic devices that monitor their behavior. However, the devices are to be used only after a three-month assessment period from the date of a rapist's release on parole.
Several lawmakers have questioned the long gap, with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Shih-hsiung (
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
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