The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved the nomination of Yen Da-ho (顏大和) as prosecutor-general of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, without ballots from the opposition parties. Yen was put forward by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) last month.
The nomination was approved by 62 affirmative votes, reaching a majority in the 112-seat legislature.
None of the Democratic Progressive Party legislators cast ballots, with the party caucus stating that the party was not willing to endorse Ma’s nomination.
The Taiwan Solidarity Union also abstained from casting ballots. The 62 approval votes were from 61 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators and one independent.
Yen was nominated last month to replace former prosecutor-general Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘), who played a controversial role in the so-called “September political strife” last year between Ma and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) after he met with the president before publicly announcing the result of a Special Investigation Division investigation and authorizing a series of wiretaps.
After his nomination was approved, Yen said that human rights should be respected in future prosecutors’ criminal investigations.
“Prosecutors will step up efforts to crack down on bribery in the seven-in-one elections in November, and the Special Investigation Division will continue to look into judges and prosecutors who are suspected of taking bribes,” Yen said.
In response to media queries on students and members of the public facing criminal investigations into the Sunflower movement and related rallies, Yen said: “The law punishes lawbreakers, regardless of their status.”
Meanwhile, Judicial Reform Foundation executive director Kao Jung-chih (高榮志) issued a statement requesting Yen to make a public pledge that he would adhere to the Constitution and not brief details of any ongoing investigations to the president and that he would only meet with the president at public occasions.
The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China
Garbage and recycling schedules are to vary from Saturday through Sunday next week over the Lunar New Year holiday period. The following collection information is from the governments of the six special municipalities. Taipei Regular service: Sunday to Monday next week. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Extra service: Friday next week. Regular service resumes: Saturday next week. New Taipei City Extra service: Sunday. Adjusted collection time: Monday next week — garbage collection is to begin in the morning and end at 6pm. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Regular service resumes: Friday next week. Note: Garbage can be dropped off at 70
Taiwan’s Li Yu-hsiang performs in the men’s singles figure skating short program at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday. Li finished 24th with a score of 72.41 to advance to Saturday’s free skate portion of the event. He is the first Taiwanese to qualify for the free skate of men’s singles figure skating at the Olympics since David Liu in 1992.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday held a ceremony marking the delivery of its 11th Anping-class offshore patrol vessel Lanyu (蘭嶼艦), saying it would boost Taiwan’s ability to respond to Beijing’s “gray zone” tactics. Ocean Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chang Chung-Lung (張忠龍) presided over the CGA event in the Port of Kaoshiung. Representatives of the National Security Council also attended the event. Designed for long-range and protracted patrol operations at sea, the Lanyu is a 65.4m-long and 14.8m-wide ship with a top speed of 44 knots (81.5kph) and a cruising range of 2,000 nautical miles (3704km). The vessel is equipped with a
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