Control Yuan President Fredrick Chien (
Chien has consulted with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Kao Yu-jen (
All four legislators are qualified lawyers with strong legal background.
Chien has also interviewed members of the Control Yuan with a legal background, as well as administrative experience.
While the two legislators from the pan-green camp have confirmed that they were approached by Chien and have expressed their willingness to participate in the committee's activities, Chen seemed inclined to reject the invitation due to the PFP's concern that there is no legal basis for the formation of the committee.
The PFP legislative caucus meanwhile urged all legislators to decline committee membership and said it would consider recommending Vice President Annette Lu (
The statute governing the committee was proposed by the pan-blue camp, and will be put to the vote in August.
Kao could not be reached for comment yesterday, but the KMT legislative caucus said it was opposed to the committee starting work before the statue had been passed.
A top KMT official said that several lawmakers from across party lines were opposing legislators' participation in the committee to prevent it from becoming an arena for political strife and bickering.
The official said that the statute might be amended to exclude legislators' participation in the committee.
Although Chien has already started giving shape to the committee, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"Chien told me that the committee would operate according to the law, and there would not be two committees," Wang said.
He said that Chien had contacted him yesterday morning to discuss committee affairs.
"Although Chien has started consulting with certain candidates, this is only his private capacity. Since the statute governing the committee has not been passed, it is still unknown how the members will be chosen, and Chien's efforts now may turn out to be for naught in the end," Wang said.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
STRICTER ENFORCEMENT: Taipei authorities warned against drunk cycling after a sharp rise in riding under the influence, urging greater public awareness of its illegality Taipei authorities have issued a public warning urging people not to ride bicycles after consuming alcohol, following a sharp rise in riding under the influence (DUI) cases involving bicycles. Five hundred and seven people were charged with DUI last year while riding YouBikes, personal bicycles, or other self-propelled two-wheelers — a fourfold increase from the previous year, data released by the Taipei Police Department’s Traffic Division showed. Of these, 33 cases were considered severe enough to be prosecuted under “offenses against public safety,” the data showed. Under the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), bicycles — including YouBikes and other
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