Petitions to recall 32 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers have advanced to the second stage after passing their first-phase review by the Central Election Commission (CEC).
On Tuesday last week, the CEC said that recall proposals for 19 KMT legislators, one city mayor and two city councilors had passed the first-stage threshold.
The 19 KMT lawmakers are: Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇), Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀), Yeh Yuan-chih (葉元之), Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭), Tu Chuan-chi (涂權吉), Lu Ming-che (魯明哲), Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲), Lu Yu-ling (呂玉玲), Chiu Jo-hua (邱若華), Cheng Cheng-chien (鄭正鈐), Yu Hao (游顥), Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒), Liao Wei-hsiang (廖偉翔), Huang Chien-hao (黃健豪), Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋), Ting Hsueh-chung (丁學忠), Huang Chien-pin (黃建賓), Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) and Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁).
Photo: Taipei Times
On Monday, another 13 KMT lawmakers were added to the list; namely, Lin Te-fu (林德福), Chang Chih-lun (張智倫), Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔), Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷), Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才), Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), Liao Hsien-hsiang (廖先翔), Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩), Lin Szu-ming (林思銘), Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) and Hsieh Yi-feng (謝衣鳳).
The CEC last week also said that the recall proposals for nine Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators did not meet the signature threshold, with the petitioners required to submit supplementary signatures within 10 days.
The nine are: Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧), Chang Hung-lu (張宏陸), Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純), Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), Saidhai Tahovecahe, Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城), Lee Chun-hsien (李俊憲) and Wang Ting-yu (王定宇).
The CEC on Monday said that three recall proposals against DPP legislators — namely Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶), Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Cheng Ying (陳瑩) — also did not pass the first-stage threshold, and required supplementary signatures for approval.
The Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) stipulates that petitioners must present the valid signatures of at least 1 percent of the voters in the electoral district of the official being recalled in the first stage, and at least 10 percent of voters’ signatures in the second stage before a recall vote is held.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
COORDINATION, ASSURANCE: Separately, representatives reintroduced a bill that asks the state department to review guidelines on how the US engages with Taiwan US senators on Tuesday introduced the Taiwan travel and tourism coordination act, which they said would bolster bilateral travel and cooperation. The bill, proposed by US senators Marsha Blackburn and Brian Schatz, seeks to establish “robust security screenings for those traveling to the US from Asia, open new markets for American industry, and strengthen the economic partnership between the US and Taiwan,” they said in a statement. “Travel and tourism play a crucial role in a nation’s economic security,” but Taiwan faces “pressure and coercion from the Chinese Communist Party [CCP]” in this sector, the statement said. As Taiwan is a “vital trading