The Legislative Yuan’s eight committees yesterday elected new conveners, with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) taking 10 seats, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) taking five, and an alliance between the People First Party (PFP) and the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union taking one.
The DPP and KMT caucuses each appointed a lawmaker to serve as convener on six of the committees.
DPP Legislator Chang Hung-lu (張宏陸) and KMT Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) were appointed to cochair the Internal Administration Committee, while the Economics Committee is to be cochaired by DPP Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) and KMT Legislator Yosi Takun.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
DPP Legislator Shih Yi-fang (施義芳) and KMT Legislator Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才) are to take turns presiding over the Finance Committee, while DPP Legislator Lee Kuen-tse (李昆澤) and KMT Legislator Chen Hsueh-shen (陳雪生) are to rotate the duty of chairing the Transportation Committee.
The Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee is to be cochaired by DPP Legislator Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國) and KMT Legislator Hsu Chih-jung (徐志榮), while the Education and Culture Committee is to be jointly presided over by DPP Legislator Frida Tsai (蔡培慧) and May Chin (高金素梅), representing the PFP-Non-Partisan Solidarity Union alliance.
Following a vote, the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, is to be cochaired by DPP legislators Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) and Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), while the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee is to be presided over by DPP legislators Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) and Chou Chun-mi (周春米).
Chou Chun-mi said that the DPP caucus is to send the Executive Yuan’s draft Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748 enforcement act to cross-caucus negotiations, allowing it to bypass committee review.
It would be reviewed alongside other versions of the bill tendered by lawmakers, she said.
Other issues her committee would focus on during this session include bills concerning judicial reform and those regarding penalties for drunk driving and child abuse, she said.
Regarding calls to amend the Referendum Act (公民投票法) in the wake of the chaos in last year’s referendums, DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said he and DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) have been assigned to hold public hearings on the issue.
The DPP caucus would draw up draft amendments to the act and wait for the Cabinet to submit its version of draft amendments before integrating the two, he said.
Additional reporting by Su Fun-her
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
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