The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed a motion of censure against independent legislator Lo Fu-chu (羅福助) for attacking People First Party (PFP) Legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) on Wednesday. The case was also referred to the legislature's Discipline Committee.
"It is a serious assault to the legislature's image and a dishonor to all fellow legislators that a lawmaker has ignored the rules of democracy and resorted to violence in the Legislative Yuan, which is a symbol of the nation's democracy," the censure statement read.
The Discipline Committee, whose members consist of the 36 conveners of the 12 standing committees in the legislature, is expected to meet on Tuesday to discuss what punishment is to be meted out to Lo.
Lo's son, Lo Ming-tsai
The severest punishment is a suspension from duty for up to six months. This can be imposed after being approved by a two-thirds majority in the legislature, based on a recommendation by the Discipline Committee.
Lo's decision on Thursday to stop participating in the legisla-ture's activities for three months as a form of self-punishment is viewed by most legislators as not good enough. Lo has so far refused to apologize to Lee.
"We wonder if this can be called an apology at all when he doesn't even feel sorry for the direct victim of his violence," said Shen Chih-hwei (沈智慧), chief executive of the PFP caucus in the legislature.
Most legislators said Lo should receive the severest punishment possible.
They also proposed that the committee's meeting should be open to the media and be conducted in a transparent manner to ensure the matter is handled properly.
The ad-hoc Discipline Committee has long been criticized for being a paper tiger, because almost every case sent to it has stalled and eventually been forgotten.
According to the Legislators' Conduct Act (
Lo was sent before the committee once before for attacking DPP Legislator Yu Jan-daw (
KMT Legislator Tseng Chen-nung (
Neither Lo nor Tseng were punished, because most of the committee members chose not to attend the committee meeting.
At least one third of the committee members must be present for there to be a quorum.
The KMT, which is known to have maintained close links with Lo, controls half of the 36 seats in the committee.
The latest violent incident involving Lo erupted on Wednesday morning shortly before a meeting of the Education and Culture Committee, following a quarrel between Lo and Lee. The entire course of events was filmed by a video camera installed in the meeting room.
Lee was still hospitalized yesterday with a slight concussion.
Several other DPP legislators have also allegedly been victims of Lo's violence. But no evidence can be produced because the alleged assaults did not take place on public occasions, except in Yu's case.
"Lo has a long record of assaulting colleagues. The Discipline Committee should handle all cases of his misconduct at once," said DPP Legislator Wang Sing-nan (王幸男), one of the three conveners of the Sci-tech and Information Committee.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College