Lawmakers yesterday elected nine members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), six members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and one member of the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU) as conveners of the eight legislative committees.
Under the Legislative Committee Organization Act (立法院各委員會組織法), each committee must elect two conveners.
NPSU Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) — who often cooperates with the People First Party and KMT caucuses — was elected convener of the Education and Culture Committee after securing the KMT caucus’ support and winning four votes in the committee election.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
She is to cochair the committee with DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃).
Chin was originally tied with DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) after the vote, but emerged the victor after winning in a draw.
It was the first time a member outside the KMT and DPP caucuses was elected as a committee convener since the nation’s ninth batch of legislators assumed office in February 2016.
DPP Legislator Chou Chun-mi (周春米) and KMT Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) are to cochair the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee, which is in charge of reviewing budget requests from the Presidential Office and the Transitional Justice Commission.
DPP Legislator Shih Yi-fang (施義芳) was ousted by KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) in the Finance Committee election by only one vote after DPP Legislator Karen Yu (余宛如) selected the wrong candidate — herself.
Her error was due to her carelessness, for which she apologized to her colleagues, Yu said, adding that she would accept any disciplinary measures by the DPP caucus.
Lai is to cochair the Finance Committee with DPP Legislator Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋).
The DPP caucus dominated the Transportation Committee after DPP legislators Chen Ming-wen and Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) beat KMT Legislator Chen Hsueh-shen (陳雪生).
The Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee Committee is to be headed by DPP Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) and KMT Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君).
The Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee is to be cochaired by DPP Legislator Wu Kuen-yuh (吳崑裕) and KMT Legislator Arthur Chen (陳宜民), who was tied with DPP Legislator Chen Man-li (陳曼麗), but was selected via a draw.
The Internal Administration Committee is to be cochaired by DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) and KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順).
The Economics Committee is to be coconvened by DPP Legislator Su Chen-ching (蘇震清) and KMT Legislator Chen Chao-ming (陳超明).
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS