Opposition lawmakers on Tuesday used their majority to pass the second reading of parts of a legislative reform bill that would allow government officials to be fined up to NT$200,000 for “contempt of legislature” offenses.
Five items passed by a show of hands before Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) called an afternoon recess. Legislators were to return at 2:30pm to continue deliberation.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party lawmakers arrived at 5:30am to ensure they could occupy the podium when the doors opened at 7am.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Although there were no physical altercations like the last time the legislature discussed the reform bills on Friday last week, both sides shouted slogans across the chamber while displaying signs and banners.
The items that passed the second reading would bar government officials appearing before the legislature from asking questions back to lawmakers, as well as require officials to respond to questions and provide requested information.
Such acts considered to be in “contempt of legislature” would be punishable by a fine of NT$20,000 to NT$200,000.
Still to be discussed are amendments that would add “contempt of legislature” charges to criminal law, as well as expand legislative powers of investigation.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
RSS