Former Control Yuan member Huang Huang-hsiung (黃煌雄) has been nominated to head the proposed transitional justice promotion committee, Premier William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday.
Lai confirmed that Huang had been picked during a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan after New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) asked him about media reports that Huang had been tapped by the Executive Yuan to chair the nine-member committee.
The reports “are correct” and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus had been informed of the Cabinet’s plan, Lai said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The list of nominees for the committee is to be submitted to the legislature by the end of this week for approval, Lai said, adding that he “respectfully requests” they support Huang’s confirmation.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said Huang is “highly qualified” to lead the committee because of his long experience as a legislator, a member of the Control Yuan and an academic.
“Huang is a patient negotiator and has the historical knowledge for the job,” Ker said.
DPP Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) offered his “complete support” to Huang, adding that Huang has for decades contributed to the nation’s democratic development and had served the nation well at the Control Yuan.
Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said a news conference would be held today to formally announce the nominees.
The Act on Promoting Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例), passed on Dec. 5 last year, mandates that the Executive Yuan establish an ad hoc committee to implement transitional justice measures set forth under the law.
A nine-member committee is to be composed of a chairman, a vice chairman and three other members who must serve the committee exclusively, in addition to four members who can serve in other posts, the act said.
Neither gender should outnumber the other by more than three on the committee, it added.
Earlier this week, a government official familiar with the matter said that Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee member Hua Yih-fen (花亦芬) and 228 Massacre expert Chen Tsui-lien (陳翠蓮) were expected to be among those nominated.
Hua and Chen are both on the history faculty at National Taiwan University.
Hua is the author of a book on Germany’s experience with transitional justice, titled Reborn from the Wounds of History: Transitional Justice in Germany after 1945 and 1990 (在歷史的傷口上重生：德國走過的轉型正義之路).
Additional reporting by CNA
‘CROWN JEWEL’: Washington ‘can delay and deter’ Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans for Taiwan, but it is ‘a very delicate situation there,’ the secretary of state said US President Donald Trump is opposed to any change to Taiwan’s “status quo” by force or extortion and would maintain that policy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Hugh Hewitt Show host on Wednesday. The US’ policy is to maintain Taiwan’s “status quo” and to oppose any changes in the situation by force or extortion, Rubio said. Hewitt asked Rubio about the significance of Trump earlier this month speaking with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) at the White House, a meeting that Hewitt described as a “big deal.” Asked whether the meeting was an indication of the
‘RELATIVELY STRONG LANGUAGE’: An expert said the state department has not softened its language on China and was ‘probably a little more Taiwan supportive’ China’s latest drills near Taiwan on Monday were “brazen and irresponsible threats,” a US Department of State spokesperson said on Tuesday, while reiterating Washington’s decades-long support of Taipei. “China cannot credibly claim to be a ‘force for stability in a turbulent world’ while issuing brazen and irresponsible threats toward Taiwan,” the unnamed spokesperson said in an e-mailed response to media queries. Washington’s enduring commitment to Taiwan will continue as it has for 45 years and the US “will continue to support Taiwan in the face of China’s military, economic, informational and diplomatic pressure campaign,” the e-mail said. “Alongside our international partners, we firmly
KAOHSIUNG CEREMONY: The contract chipmaker is planning to build 5 fabs in the southern city to gradually expand its 2-nanometer chip capacity Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday confirmed that it plans to hold a ceremony on March 31 to unveil a capacity expansion plan for its most advanced 2-nanometer chips in Kaohsiung, demonstrating its commitment to further investment at home. The ceremony is to be hosted by TSMC cochief operating officer Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛). It did not disclose whether Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and high-ranking government officials would attend the ceremony. More details are to be released next week, it said. The chipmaker’s latest move came after its announcement earlier this month of an additional US$100 billion
COUNTERING THE PLA: While the US should reinforce its relations with partners and allies, Taiwan must invest in strengthening its defenses as well, Phillip Davidson said If influence in the Indo-Pacific region is one of the US’ core interests, then Taiwan serves as a cornerstone of US economic and security influence in the region, former US Indo-Pacific Command commander admiral Phillip Davidson said on Thursday. “China’s ... strategy is to supplant the US leadership role in the international order ... and they’ve long said ... that they intend to do that by 2050,” Davidson told the National Review Institute’s Ideas Summit in Washington. Davidson said he had previously told US Senate hearings on China’s military activities and possible threats in the Indo-Pacific region that a Chinese invasion of
RSS