The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday backed away from its plan to call an extra legislative session next month to push through the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement, meaning that the review process for the deal is not to begin until March next year.
“As there are still another three public hearings, we have decided during cross-party negotiations that no extra session to discuss the agreement will be called during the recess,” KMT legislative caucus whip Lin Te-fu (林德福) said.
A total of 16 public hearings were scheduled to be held by the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee from Sept. 30. The three remaining sessions are set for Jan. 2, Jan. 13 and March 10.
Caucus whips from all parties reached the decision not to hold an extra legislative session at a meeting chaired by Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucuses had vowed to boycott a screening of the cross-strait service trade agreement “at all costs,” should the KMT caucus initiate an extra session to ratify the agreement during the recess .
Lawmakers decided to extend the current session, which comes to an end on Dec. 31, to Jan. 14 to complete a review of amendments to the Communication Security and Surveillance Act (通訊保障及監察法).
The amendments were pushed to the forefront in this legislature session due to revelations of illegal wiretapping practices in the cases related to allegations that the legislative speaker and DPP legislative caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) exerted undue influence on the judicial system.
The cases also prompted some legislators to propose an amendment to the Organic Act of Courts (法院組織法) to abolish the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Division over the controversial measures used by Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) to investigate the alleged improper lobbying.
However, lawmakers decided yesterday to delay in the session a review of this amendment, according to TSU legislative caucus whip Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信).
A series of discussions on the legacy of martial law and authoritarianism are to be held at the Taipei International Book Exhibition this month, featuring findings and analysis by the Transitional Justice Commission. The commission and publisher Book Republic organized the series, entitled “Escaping the Nation’s Labyrinth of Memory: What Authoritarian Symbols and Records Can Tell Us,” to help people navigate narratives through textual analysis and comparisons with other nations. The four-day series is to begin on Thursday next week with a discussion between commission Chairwoman Yang Tsui (楊翠), Polish-language translator Lin Wei-yun (林蔚昀), and Polish author and artist Pawel Gorecki comparing
‘EFFECTIVE DETERRENCE’: If the Biden administration suspends arms sales to Taiwan, the military could still ready a nimble fighting force for defense, an analyst said The “US Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific” last week sparked debate among analysts after US President Donald Trump declassified the document 20 years ahead of schedule. Trump on Tuesday last week released the document that had governed US strategic action in the region since the US leader approved its use in 2018. The document, which outlines US priorities in the region, emphasizes the importance of defending Taiwan against military aggression and facilitating the country’s development of asymmetric strategies and capabilities. The overall directive of the document is for the US to prevent China from establishing sustained air and sea dominance inside the first
MOVING OUT: A former professor said that rent and early education costs in Taipei are the nation’s highest, which makes it difficult for young people to start families The population of Taipei last year fell to the lowest in 23 years due to high rent, more transportation options and the expansion of northern cities into a single metropolis, academics and city officials said on Monday. Data released this month by the Ministry of the Interior showed that the capital was home to 2,602,418 people last year, down 42,623 from 2019. The decline is second only to 1993, when the population fell by 42,828 people, while Taipei’s population was the lowest it has been since 1997. Taipei saw the biggest drop among the six special municipalities, while Taoyuan led the group in
A legislator yesterday called for authorities to investigate the sale of Chinese-made, Internet-connected karaoke machines containing “propaganda songs.” Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said she was approached by a person who had discovered Chinese patriotic songs such as My Motherland (我的祖國) — which is commonly referred to as China’s “second national anthem” — in Chinese-made karaoke devices sold in Taiwan. The machines are popular, as they can connect to the Internet, providing access to thousands of songs, she said. One retailer, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the machines first entered the local market about three years ago, starting with
RSS