President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday signed into law the Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act (跟蹤騷擾防制法), which increases the punishments for stalking and harassment.
Speaking at a news conference attended by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇), and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) and Fan Yun (范雲), Tsai said the act would offer better protection to victims of stalking and harassment.
The act was passed by lawmakers across party lines and is to take effect in six months, she said.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
“The act is an important first step toward the prevention of gender-based violence,” Tsai said.
Tsai also highlighted the murder of Peng Wan-ru (彭婉如), a former director of the DPP’s Women’s Affairs Department and feminist advocate, as the day before the promulgation was the 25th anniversary of her death. The case remains unsolved.
Peng’s death increased awareness of the need to protect women, spurring the introduction of dedicated legislation.
“We believe we will do more and better along the way,” Tsai said.
The act, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Nov. 19, defines stalking and harassment as continuous or repeated actions that are related to sex or gender, frighten the victim and have negative effects on their daily lives.
It defines eight types of behavior as stalking or harassment, including spying, trailing, following, approaching, threatening, insulting and harassment over the Internet.
It also covers pursuing a relationship in an inappropriate manner, sending unsolicited messages, video clips or other objects by mail, tarnishing a person’s reputation and using their identity to buy goods.
The act stipulates a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to NT$100,000 for those found guilty of any of those acts.
Perpetrators who additionally carry a dangerous weapon can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison and/or a fine of up to NT$500,000.
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
COVID-19 infections have climbed for three consecutive weeks and are likely to reach another peak between next month and June, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Weekly hospital visits for the disease increased by 19 percent from the previous week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. From Tuesday last week to yesterday, 21 cases of severe COVID-19 and seven deaths were confirmed, and from Sept. 1 last year to yesterday, there were 600 cases and 129 deaths, he said. From Oct. 1 last year to yesterday, 95.9 percent of the severe cases and 96.7 percent of the deaths
Restarting the No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant would take up to 18 months, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said today. Kuo was answering questions during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee, where legislators are considering amendments to the Renewable Energy Development Act (再生能源發展條) amid concerns about the consequences of the Pingtung County reactor’s decommissioning scheduled for May 17. Its decommissioning is to mark the end of Taiwan’s nuclear power production. However, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers have proposed an amendment to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) that would extend the life of existing
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday demanded that Somalia reverse its decision prohibiting Taiwanese passport holders from entering or transiting through the country. Somalia said it is following the “one China” principle based on UN Resolution 2758. The ministry said that Somalia is misinterpreting the resolution under China’s instigation, creating a false impression that Taiwan is subordinate to China. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority told airlines on Tuesday last week that starting today, any passengers with passports or travel documents issued from Taiwan or its affiliated institutions would not be allowed to enter or transit through Somalia. The decision comes as Taiwan is boosting
RSS