The legislature yesterday elected new conveners to head its eight committees, with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus winning nine seats and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus securing seven.
Under the Legislative Committee Organization Act (立法院各委員會組織法), each committee is to elect two conveners.
Apart from the Education and Culture Committee, for which the DPP secured both seats, the DPP and the KMT lawmakers secured one seat each on the other committees.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) was elected convener of the Education and Culture Committeeby a vote, while DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) claimed the second seat over KMT Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) after drawing lots.
The electoral process for the Transportation Committee, the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee and the Finance Committee closely shadowed that of the Education and Culture Committee, with the DPP caucus winning the first seats by vote, but losing the other seat to the KMT after drawing lots.
DPP Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and KMT Legislator Chen Hsueh-sheng (陳雪生) are to take turns presiding over the Transportation Committee; DPP Legislator Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) and KMT Legislator Chen Yi-min (陳宜民) are to be in charge of the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee; and DPP Legislator Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋) and KMT Legislator William Tseng (曾銘宗) are to chair the Finance Committee.
The legislators on the Economics Committee and the Foreign and National Defense Committee — which are to undertake reviews of planned pension cuts for military retirees during the ongoing session — resolved to choose their conveners through nomination.
DPP Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) and KMT Legislator Lu Yu-ling (呂玉玲) were nominated as conveners for the Defense Committee, while DPP Legislator Kao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) and KMT Legislator Sufin Siluko (廖國棟) are to preside over the Economics Committee.
DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) and KMT Legislator John Wu (吳志揚) received the highest and second-highest number votes in the election for the Judiciary and Organic Laws Committee and are to take turns presiding over the committee’s meetings.
DPP Legislator Hung Tsung-yi (洪宗熠) and KMT Legislator Yang Chen-wu (楊鎮浯) were elected Internal Administration Committee conveners.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and