The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vowed to appeal to the Council of Grand Justices for a constitutional interpretation after the legislature yesterday rejected the Executive Yuan's request to reconsider a controversial statute authorizing the formation of a committee probing the March 19 shootings.
"We will apply to the Judicial Yuan for a constitutional interpretation on the statute tomorrow," DPP caucus whip Lee Chun-yee (
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The vote ensures the imminent promulgation of the statute, which mandates the formation of the investigative committee.
According to the Constitution, the president has to promulgate a law within 10 days after the Legislative Yuan delivers the bill to the Presidential Office.
The Executive Yuan had asked the legislature to reconsider the March 19 Shooting Truth Investigation Special Committee Statute (三一九槍擊事件真相調查特別委員會條例) because of concern that it might violate the Constitution and encroach on the judicial system.
The legislature handled the reconsideration request on the first day of its last session yesterday.
A total of 114 lawmakers voted in favor of the statute.
To override a Cabinet veto, at least 109 lawmakers -- a simple majority of the 217 seats in the 225-seat legislature that are presently filled -- have to vote in favor of the statute. Although the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP) caucuses together have 112 members, the two caucuses only managed to secure 108 votes yesterday, and would not have managed to reject the request were it not for support from the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU).
The NPSU contributed five votes, and independent Legislator Su Yin-kuei (蘇盈貴) also voted against the reconsideration request.
The failure to invalidate the bill came as an expected but still heavy blow to the DPP, and both the DPP and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucuses said that they would not give up their fight against the statute. They said they would apply to the Council of Grand Justices for an interpretation on the statute.
"If the pan-green camp wins a majority of seats in the legislative elections, the TSU caucus will propose that the statute be amended," TSU caucus whip Huang Chung-yung (黃宗源) said.
The DPP and the TSU caucuses both criticized the pan-blue camp for rejecting the reconsideration request and asked the public to use their votes in the legislative elections to denounce the pan-blue politicians who voted against the request. They also said they would not nominate any members for the committee.
However, the DPP's application for a constitutional interpretation will not prevent the statute being signed into law, as it is unlikely that the Council of Grand Justices will reach a decision before the president is required to promulgate the statute.
The committee would consist of members drawn from outside the legislature, the Control Yuan or other government agencies and state-run businesses.
The DPP can appoint six members from outside these circles, the KMT five, the PFP four, the TSU one and the NPSU one.
The statute stipulates that the committee has the right to investigate all criminal matters relating to the March 19 shooting, and that it will enjoy powers similar to those of prosecutors when conducting investigations.
The pan-blue camp, meanwhile, worked hard to ensure its triumph. With KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
The KMT even succeeded in facilitating the return of two long-absent lawmakers, Her Jyh-huei (
But three KMT lawmakers remained absent from yesterday's session: Chen Hung-chang (
On the PFP's side, only former basketball player Cheng Chih-lung (
The Executive Yuan yesterday expressed regret at the result and vowed to request a freeze of the legislation until the Council of Grand Justices rules on the statute.
"This piece of legislation re-presents a step backward in the nation's democratic development and symbolizes a shameless stain in the nation's democratic history," Premier Yu Shyi-kun told a press conference last night.
Minister without Portfolio Hsu Chih-hsiung (
"This is the worst piece of legislation I've ever seen since martial law was lifted," he said. "In a bid to safeguard human rights, the public interest and the constitutional system, the best solution is to ask the Council of Grand Justices to halt the implementation of the statute until they reach a decision on the law's constitutionality."
Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS