Lawmakers yesterday approved the Executive Yuan’s nomination of Transitional Justice Commission Acting Chairwoman Yang Tsui (楊翠) to head the agency, as well as the nominations for seven commission members.
Former commission member Yeh Hung-ling (葉虹靈) is to serve as deputy chairwoman, while commission member Peng Jen-yu (彭仁郁) is to retain her post.
The new members of the commission are Judicial Reform Foundation executive director Chen Yu-fan (陳雨凡), National Chengchi University professor Frank Wang (王增勇), National Taiwan Normal University associate professor Lin Chia-fan (林佳範), Chung Yuan Christian University associate professor Hsu Wei-chun (徐偉群) and National Dong Hwa University associate professor Awi Mona.
Photo: CNA
All eight nominations were approved 72-0. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus boycotted the vote and later held a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei to denounce Yang’s appointment.
Yang’s grandfather, Yang Kui (楊逵), was an author who was arrested during the Japanese colonial era, after the 228 Incident and during the White Terror era, KMT caucus whip Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said, adding that his legacy in Taiwan’s democracy should not be overlooked.
However, Lin Wei-chou questioned the appropriateness of Yang Tsui serving as the commission’s chairwoman.
Citing the killing of railway police officer Lee Cheng-han (李承翰) last year by a man surnamed Cheng (鄭), who was found not guilty due to mental illness, Lin Wei-chou asked whether it would be appropriate for Lee’s relatives to sit on a lay judge appellate bench trying Cheng.
Yang Tsui should have declined the nomination to avoid a conflict of interest, he said.
KMT Legislator Wu I-ding (吳怡玎) said that Yang Tsui in October last year told the legislature that she could accomplish the commission’s mission before its term expired this month, only to contradict herself six months later by becoming its chairwoman.
She called on Yang Tsui to clarify what the commission seeks to accomplish over the next 12 months.
KMT Legislator Charles Chen (陳以信) said that the KMT caucus is working on an amendment to Article 11 of the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例), which gives the premier authority to extend the life of the commission in one-year increments if it has not completed its mission, to prevent the ruling party from using it as a “pork barrel” agency.
KMT caucus vice secretary-general Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said that Chen Yu-fan, a former New Power Party member, was “negotiated out” of the Jan. 11 legislative elections, ceding priority to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hau (許淑華) in the race for Taipei’s Xinyi-Southern Songshan electoral district.
Chen Yu-fan’s nomination could have been the result of a quid pro quo arrangement between her and the DPP, Lin Yi-hua said.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
RSS