Lawyers representing four parties that filed for an injunction and a constitutional interpretation of the amendments expanding the legislature’s powers yesterday urged the Constitutional Court to approve the injunction, saying the changes would damage the constitutional order.
The court began preliminary hearings on the injunction.
The Legislative Yuan passed the amendments on May 28 and promulgated them on June 26. It was followed by a historic first in which the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) legislative caucus, the Executive Yuan, President William Lai (賴清德) and the Control Yuan all filed for a ruling on their constitutionality.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Constitutional Court Chief Justice Hsu Tzong-li (許宗力) said that all applications have been uploaded onto the Internet as per regulations, and the court is starting the preliminary processes on hearing the case.
The Presidential Office’s legal representative, Hong Wei-sheng (洪偉勝), expressed his approval of the Constitutional Court’s transparency and said accusations over its procedures are baseless.
Hung’s remarks referred to Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Huang Kuo-chang’s (黃國昌) comments asking for Hsu to clarify the regulations as stipulated under the Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法) and why the Legislative Yuan had not received any notifications.
Huang also asked whether the preliminary hearings were based on Article 43 the act or were they preliminary hearings for the oral defense.
The amendments to are flawed, contravening the Constitution, disrupting the separation of powers, undermining responsible politics and throwing government bodies into disarray, Hong said.
The amendments would irreparably damage the basic tenets of the Constitution, and there was an urgent need for an injunction, he said.
Lee Chuan-he (李荃和), the Executive Yuan’s legal representative, said the amendments placed additional restrictions on candidates for a government office and that the legislature could stall appointments made it urgent to impose an injunction against them.
Chen Peng-kuang (陳鵬光), the DPP’s legal representative, said the amendments would hinder the independent operation of the Judicial Yuan, the Control Yuan and the Executive Yuan.
The Control Yuan’s legal representative, Lee Yuan-te (李元德), said the Control Yuan had no other recourse other than the Constitutional Court, as the president’s powers to mediate between government branches were limited to “political disputes.”
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS