Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators have proposed retroactive amendments to a bill on ill-gotten party assets.
The proposed amendments to the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例) would add provisions on party-affiliated organizations.
The amendments were proposed by KMT Legislator Yu Hao (游顥) and 36 other legislators who said that administrative agencies “seriously infringed upon the rights and interests of social welfare organizations.”
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
“In addition to hindering the normal operation of these organizations, the act also damages social harmony and clearly deviates from its original legislative purpose,” the legislators said. “We’ve drafted these amendments in order to promote the healthy development of democracy and protect the public’s basic constitutional rights.”
The proposed amendments add a provision stating that “those that have been affiliated with the state are not subject to the limitations defined in the act.”
The Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee in 2018 determined the China Youth Corps to be a KMT-affiliated organization, and in 2022 said 61 properties and more than NT$1.39 billion in the organization’s name were improperly acquired and should be transferred to state ownership.
China Youth Corps fought the ruling in court, and in January last year, the Supreme Administrative Court made a final ruling in the case against the organization.
Rulings like those against the China Youth Corps showed the judiciary was in agreement with the committee about the ill-gotten nature of properties owned by KMT-affiliated organizations, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus secretary-general Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said yesterday.
“This is not just a piece of legislation, it’s a judicial process. The KMT thinks that having one more legislator seat puts it above the law, and that it can arbitrarily redact all the laws that have already been passed,” she said.
“Whether the KMT’s property is legitimate or not is unilaterally decided by the DPP,” the KMT Central Standing Committee said yesterday. “Nowhere else in the world is there a ruling party that legislates the liquidation of all properties of other political parties in the name of false transitional justice. This is a shame for Taiwan’s democracy.”
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS