A bill to change recall election procedures was halted yesterday after a legislative session concluded early following scuffles between lawmakers.
While a vote was being held on the second reading of draft amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yeh Yuan-chih (葉元之), KMT lawmakers tried to keep Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers away from the podium.
Before the meeting proceeded with a discussion of details of the bill, the DPP and KMT caucuses sought to change the agenda.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The KMT caucus proposed prioritizing a draft amendment to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) that would require signatories of recall petitions to submit a copy of their ID card.
The DPP caucus proposed addressing only three bills in the morning session, as a full session was to be convened in the afternoon to review Examination Yuan nominees.
The three bills were draft amendments to the Organizational Act of the Executive Yuan (行政院組織法), the Sports Industry Development Act (運動產業發展條例) — both crucial to the establishment of a ministry of sports — and the Act to Restore Victims’ Rights Infringed by Illegal Acts of the State during the Period of Authoritarian Rule (威權統治時期國家不法行為被害者權利回復條例).
The DPP caucus’ proposal was blocked.
The meeting was about to vote on the KMT caucus’ proposal to change the agenda when a group of DPP lawmakers, including Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱), Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) and Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆), sprinted to occupy the rostrum.
Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) declared a 10-minute break and left the room.
DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said that her caucus tried to prioritize the bills for establishing the ministry of sports, as they are relevant to the livelihoods of Taiwanese.
The KMT caucus attempted to force the passage of the draft amendment raising the threshold for recall petitions, disregarding that it was still under cross-party negotiation and causing the conflict, she said.
KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi said that DPP lawmakers occupied the rostrum and prevented Han from running the meeting.
“In which body in the world can lawmakers trample the dignity of the legislature by hindering the speaker from proceeding with democratic discussions and resolutions?” he asked.
Additional reporting by Lee Wen-hsin
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS