The Legislative Yuan referred Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) deputy caucus whip Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) to the legislature’s Discipline Committee yesterday as a result of a physical conflict with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) in October.
The 61 legislators present during the plenary session voted 36 to 25 in favor of the proposal initiated by the Education and Culture Committee.
The Discipline Committee, composed of 15 pan-blue lawmakers, has the power to determine punishment for Kuan after listening to her explanation, the Legislators’ Conduct Act (立法委員行為法) stipulates.
Kuan could be required to issue an oral apology or a written apology, or be prevented from attending four to eight plenary sessions, the law says.
She could have her legislative authority suspended for between three months and six months if two-thirds of the attendees in the plenary session agree to the punishment.
The Education and Culture Committee initiated the proposal after Kuan slapped Hung on the face during a review of the National Science Council’s budget request on Oct. 22.
Kuan slapped Hung after the KMT legislator injured the eye of Kuan’s assistant as she was trying to push a poster away.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) had tried to resolve the conflict between Kuan and Hung, but both of the legislators refused to apologize to each other.
Kuan told her colleagues during the plenary session: “I feel honored that the KMT is going after me.”
“When one is faced with repression, one should stand straight, refuse to give in and fight against oppression and hegemony,” she said.
“Congratulations to all of you. You just made yourselves look really bad,” she said.
DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) protested the legislature’s decision, saying that the KMT-dominated legislature was trying to persecute Kuan while covering up for KMT Legislator Diane Lee (李慶安), whom the US State Department has found to possess US citizenship.
Hung, however, criticized Kuan as “showing no remorse” and “not well-educated.”
KMT caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (林益世) said Kuan had refused to make peace with Hung despite the KMT’s efforts to resolve the dispute.
He also rebutted the DPP’s allegation that the KMT was shielding Lee.
In a related development, legislators agreed unanimously to delete an internal regulation that had been preventing DPP lawmakers from proposing impromptu motions during committee meetings.
Article 57 of the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Yuan (立法院議事規則) previously stated that an impromptu motion must be endorsed by more than four lawmakers.
However, the DPP, with 27 lawmakers in total, was unable to occupy more than three seats in five of the legislature’s eight committees.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS