Sat, Mar 15, 2025 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  DEMOGRAPHICS

  Population decreases

  The population decreased last month, marking the 14th consecutive month of declines, Ministry of the Interior data showed. Taiwan’s population at the end of last month was 23,384,614, down 11,435 from the end of January, the data showed. The birthrate of 5.80 per 1,000 people was lower than the death rate of 12.20 per 1,000, the data showed. Net migration had a minimal effect, with 122,992 people moving in during the month, while 122,946 departed, the data showed.

  POLITICS

  Buddhists sign petition

  At least 1,500 Buddhists, including 200 Buddhist masters, had signed a petition in support of a recall campaign against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers as of yesterday, United Microelectronics founder and former chief executive officer Robert Tsao (曹興誠) told a news conference in Taipei. Tsao, the spokesman for the Safeguard Taiwan, Anti-Communist Volunteers Alliance heading the recall movement, called on Buddhists to support the recall campaign as a way of practicing dana (“generosity” in Sanskrit) by giving “the gift of freedom from fear.” Buddhist master Shih Cheng-ding (釋正定) told the same news conference that Taiwan’s Buddhism has long been affected by the Chinese Communist Party’s “united front” tactics.

  GOVERNMENT

  Foundations tout initiatives

  The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the London-based Westminster Foundation for Democracy on Thursday issued a joint statement promoting “smart parliament” initiatives. The statement outlines a mutual commitment to developing “safety, multi-stakeholder participation, artificial intelligence, responsiveness and transparency,” Westminster foundation board member Duncan Hames told a signing ceremony in Taipei. “We hope that our cooperation will help foster democratic values, practices and wider partnerships among our democracies.” That 47 of Taiwan’s 113 legislators are women reflects Taiwan’s democratic achievements and its progress on gender equality, said Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), chairman of the Taiwan foundation.

  GOVERNMENT

  NPA, Taipei police censured

  The Control Yuan yesterday censured the National Police Agency (NPA), the Taipei City Police Department and a Taipei police precinct for failing to properly supervise officers in their handling of a child abuse case last year. Improper use of restraints on a suspect and failure to uphold investigative confidentiality were among the issues in the case related to a social worker surnamed Chen (陳), the Control Yuan said in a report. The case involved two sisters who worked as foster caregivers. They were accused of abusing a one-year-old boy, leading to his death in late 2023. Chen was under investigation on suspicion of falsifying reports of visits to where the sisters housed the child and negligence leading to his death. She was handcuffed while being transferred for questioning on March 12 last year. The decision to cuff her in full view of the media sparked a public outcry. Police planned Chen’s transfer route to maximize media exposure and even persuaded her to briefly pose for photographers, the report said. Officers contravened multiple regulations regarding criminal procedure, the use of restraints and confidentiality in investigations, while the prosecutor in charge also failed to remove Chen’s handcuffs during questioning, breaching judicial procedures, it said.
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