Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday decided to postpone the review of the qualifications of four National Communications Commission (NCC) nominees until the end of the month after one of the nominees failed to provide detailed background information for review.
The four nominees are National Dong Hwa University professor Howard Shyr (石世豪), National Chiao Tung University professor Yu Hsiao-cheng (虞孝成), National Tsing Hua University professor Peng Shin-yi (彭心儀) and Integral Investment Holdings Group general manager Chen Yuan-ling (陳元玲). Shyr was nominated as the new NCC chairperson and Yu as the new NCC vice chairperson.
They are to replace NCC chairperson Su Herng (蘇蘅) and NCC vice chairperson Chen Jeng-chang (陳正倉), as well as NCC commissioners Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲) and Chung Chi-hui (鍾起惠), who are scheduled to step down by the end of July.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
The qualifications of the four nominees were scheduled to be jointly reviewed by lawmakers serving on the legislature’s Transportation Committee and those serving on the Education and Culture Committee.
However, the meeting was boycotted by DPP legislators, who complained that Chen Yuan-ling only provided a one-page resume for review. They said it lacked adequate information to review her qualifications.
To help the lawmakers review the qualifications, the legislature looked at each nominee’s record of academic publications.
Chen Yuan-ling had never published anything. Shyr, Yu and Peng, on the other hand, each have numerous publications.
KMT lawmakers defended Chen Yuan-ling, saying that she comes from the corporate world and therefore has not published any academic work, but that was not accepted by DPP lawmakers.
DPP legislators Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑), Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) and Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) criticized the way Chen Yuan-ling presented her accomplishments as being in contempt of the legislature.
KMT Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞), who presided over the meeting, ruled to postpone the review session to May 28 and May 30 after all the information related to the nominees had been received.
Shyr, who was NCC vice chairperson, said that Chen Yuan-ling’s experience would complement that of the other NCC commissioners, who are academics.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear