Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Tainan city councilors lashed out at Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) yesterday over his refusal to attend council meetings, and decided to refer him to the Control Yuan for impeachment.
Following Tainan Council Speaker Lee Chuan-chiao’s (李全教) indictment early last month over vote-buying, Lai vowed that he would boycott all council meetings as long as Lee remains in his position.
“The city council can make concessions to the mayor, but there are limits as to how much compromise we can make, and I believe we have done everything we legally can,” Lee said at a news conference outside the extraordinary session of the city council. “There are laws to sanction Lai if he refuses to attend sessions of the city council.He should not try to dodge his obligation of being monitored by the city council.”
Photo: CNA
However, KMT City Councilor Wan Chia-chen (王家貞) said that if Lai has an “imperial dream,” he should just resign and announce his bid for president.
KMT City Councilor Lin Mei-yen (林美燕), condemned Lai as a “runaway mayor.”
KMT City Councilor Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介), echoed Lee’s comments by proposing a motion to refer the mayor as well as all city officials who were absent during the meeting for impeachment by the Control Yuan.
As only KMT councilors attended the meeting, the motion was passed.
Despite the city council decision to refer him to the Control Yuan, Lai insisted on continuing his boycott.
“Despite the criticism, I will not walk into the city council as long as the legal problems surrounding Lee are unresolved,” Lai said in a separate setting. “My intention is to launch a reform on local politics in Taiwan, let the light shine in, and completely wipe out money politics.”
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,
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
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.
RSS