The Cabinet yesterday approved an amendment to the Criminal Code that would increase the penalties for acts that artificially force up the prices of consumer or agricultural goods or hoarding as the government seeks to stabilize prices after recent hikes in fuel and electricity prices.
Under the amendment, which still needs to be approved by the legislature, people who hoard food, agricultural products or other necessary agricultural or industrial necessities, such as seeds, fertilizer and other materials to artificially force up prices would face a prison term of under three years and/or a NT$300,000 fine.
It would also impose criminal liability for the distribution of false information with the intent to drive up food prices, with a prison term of less than two years, short-term detention or a fine of NT$200,000.
At present, individuals who obstruct the sale or transportation of grain or other food items required by the public or the sale or transportation of seed, fertilizer, raw materials or other products needed in agriculture or industry by threats, violence or fraud face a prison term of no more than five years, short-term detention or a fine of NT$3,000 or less.
The amendment would significantly increase the penalties against organized fraud syndicates by imposing a maximum sentence of seven years, which cannot be commuted to a fine, as opposed to the existing five-year prison sentence for ordinary fraud and sentences of up to three years for fraud involving automatic teller machines.
In a bit to combat loan sharking, the amendment seeks to increase the penalties against people who take advantage of the urgent need, carelessness or inexperience of another to lend that person money or other things at usurious interest obviously inappropriate to the principal.
The amendment suggested the penalties be raised to a sentence of no more than three years, detention, or a fine of NT$300,000, from the current an imprisonment for not more than one year or detention, or a fine of not more than NT$1,000.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday established a friendship group with their counterparts in Ukraine to promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. A ceremony in Taipei for the Taiwan-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, initiated by DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), was attended by lawmakers and officials, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Lutz Gullner. The increasingly dire situation in Ukraine is a global concern, and Taiwan cannot turn its back when the latter is in need of help, as the two countries share many common values and interests,
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