The nomination of the president and vice president of the Judicial Yuan will take practical experience and academic renown into consideration, Presidential Office spokesperson Alex Huang (黃重諺) said, adding that calls to consider the gender ratio of appointees to the Council of Grand Justices would also be taken under advisement.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is reportedly considering former grand justice Hsu Tzong-li (許宗力) and Taiwan High Court Judge Tsai Chung-tun (蔡炯燉) for president and vice president of the Judicial Yuan, respectively, following the withdrawal of Public Functionary Disciplinary Sanction Commission Chief Commissioner Hsieh Wen-ting (謝文定) and Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Lin Chin-fang (林錦芳).
Local media reports also said that the president might tap National Taiwan University law professors Hsu Chih-hsiung (許志雄), Huang Chao-yuan (黃昭元), Chan San-lin (詹森林) and human rights lawyer Huang Juei-min (黃瑞明) as grand justices.
The president is using a variety of methods to garner feedback on who should be appointed to the positions, including meeting with potential candidates, Alex Huang said.
Meanwhile, the Awakening Foundation on Friday said that the rumored candidates were not only mostly male, but many of them were also known for their conservative commentaries regarding gender equality.
The president should nominate women who are aware of gender issues, the foundation said, adding that such a move would serve to shake up the prominently conservative male upper echelons at the Judicial Yuan.
The foundation suggested that Tsai Ing-wen name former grand justice Hsu Yu-hsiu (許玉秀) as a candidate for either president or vice president of the Judicial Yuan, adding that such an appointment would not be unconstitutional, as the Constitution does not restrict reappointment to office.
In response, Alex Huang said the president would make the appointments in accordance with the Constitution, adding that while judicial reforms should be transparent to the public, it should also be implemented by individuals familiar with judicial proceedings.
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Celebrations marking Double Ten National Day are to begin in Taipei today before culminating in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on the night of Thursday next week. To start the celebrations, a concert is to be held at the Taipei Dome at 4pm today, featuring a lineup of award-winning singers, including Jody Chiang (江蕙), Samingad (紀曉君) and Huang Fei (黃妃), Taipei tourism bureau official Chueh Yu-ling (闕玉玲) told a news conference yesterday. School choirs, including the Pqwasan na Taoshan Choir and Hngzyang na Matui & Nahuy Children’s Choir, and the Ministry of National Defense Symphony Orchestra, flag presentation unit and choirs,