The Legislature today passed amendments to the Railway Act (鐵路法) that impose criminal penalties on those who use violence, coercion or threats to obstruct railway personnel while they are carrying out their duties.
Under the amendments, such offenses are punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of up to NT$300,000.
If the obstruction results in death, offenders face life in prison or a prison term of more than seven years, while cases resulting in serious injury carry terms of three to 10 years, the amendments state.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
The revisions were modeled on provisions addressing violence in emergency rooms under the Medical Care Act (醫療法), with the aim of improving on-duty safety protections for railway personnel.
The amendments would authorize railway operators to refuse service when there is a risk that passengers could obstruct railway personnel using violence, coercion or threats.
Before the government-run Taiwan Railways Administration became corporatized on Jan. 1 last year, such violence could be prosecuted under Article 135 of the Criminal Code, which punishes threats or violence against a public official.
Since the beginning of last year, that clause no longer applied to new hires, necessitating more direct provisions to crack down on violence against railway employees. There have been 14 cases of such violence so far this year.
The new amendments would also raise fines to deter improper profit-seeking involving train tickets.
Those who resell train tickets at higher prices or exchange them for improper profits would face a fine of 10 to 50 times the ticket fare, based on the number of tickets involved, the amendments state.
Privately run and state-owned railway operators that fail to take necessary safety measures or do not effectively train and manage their personnel would face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000, they state.
The Legislative Yuan's Transportation Committee had earlier completed a joint review of amendment proposals submitted by lawmakers from across party lines, passing them at the committee stage without reserving any provisions or requiring cross-party negotiations.
The amendments today passed their third reading at a legislative plenary session without objections.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
BACK TO WINTER: A strong continental cold air mass would move south on Tuesday next week, bringing colder temperatures to northern and central Taiwan A tropical depression east of the Philippines could soon be upgraded to be the first tropical storm of this year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the next cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Monday next week. CWA forecaster Cheng Jie-ren (鄭傑仁) said the first tropical depression of this year is over waters east of the Philippines, about 1,867km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), and could strengthen into Tropical Storm Nokaen by early today. The system is moving slowly from northwest to north, and is expected to remain east of the Philippines with little chance of affecting Taiwan,
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
RSS