Kaohsiung city councilor recall vote authorized
12/18/2020 09:56 PM
Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Jie. CNA file photo
Kaohsiung, Dec. 18 (CNA) A motion to recall independent Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Jie (黃捷) has been approved, with the vote to be held on Feb. 6, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced Friday.
The motion was proposed by an organization of members of the public on the grounds that the politician has shown no interest in Kaohsiung affairs and is therefore unfit to represent the people in the southern city, according to the organization s spokesperson Hsu Shang-hsien (徐尚賢).
However, some others would argue that the motion is a form of retaliation by supporters of former Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), as Huang is known to be a fierce critic of Han.
KMT s referendum proposal on food safety passes hurdle
12/18/2020 09:39 PM
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KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (fourth right) deliver the signatures the party collected to the Central Election Commission on Sept. 23. CNA file photo
Taipei, Dec. 18 (CNA) Two referendum questions proposed by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), including one to overturn the government s new policy on imported pork, cleared initial hurdles when they were approved by the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Friday.
The agency determined that the two referendum proposals met legal requirements and could proceed to the next stage once the identities of at least 1,931 of the proposals 20,170 proposers are confirmed.
Health ministry s probe of anti-ractopamine doctor draws pushback
12/18/2020 07:14 PM
Clinical psychiatrist Su Wei-shuo (left). CNA photo Dec. 17, 2020
Taipei, Dec. 18 (CNA) A recent decision by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) to report clinical psychiatrist Su Wei-shuo (蘇偉碩) to the police over what the ministry said are false rumors about ractopamine has drawn pushback from the doctor and the main opposition party, which criticized the move as violating Su s freedom of speech.
At a Thursday press conference, Wang Yu-min (王育敏), chairwoman of the opposition Kuomintang s (KMT s) Culture and Communications Committee, said the KMT supports Su, and she accused the government of violating the Constitution by suppressing freedom of speech.
Cabinet approves draft law revision to accelerate urban renewal
12/17/2020 06:49 PM
CNA file photo
Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) The Cabinet on Thursday approved a draft amendment to the Urban Renewal Act that will streamline procedures that authorize local governments to demolish dangerous buildings and provide floor area ratio incentives to encourage the reconstruction of old buildings and accelerate urban renewal.
After the catastrophic 921 earthquake that devastated Taiwan in 1999, the government amended relevant regulations to raise standards for the design of buildings to improve their earthquake resistance, according to the Ministry of the Interior (MOI).
However, before the amended regulations came into effect in December 1999, there were more than 36,200 buildings at least six floors high without adequate earthquake resistance in Taiwan.
Cabinet approves plan to curb real estate speculation
12/10/2020 07:14 PM
CNA photo Dec. 10, 2020
Taipei, Dec. 10 (CNA) The Cabinet on Thursday approved a series of measures aimed at reining in real estate speculation, including a proposal to mandate public disclosure of the price and address of all properties sold in the country.
In a statement, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said the four-point plan would increase market transparency, while also protecting the right to privacy, and would help keep housing prices at a reasonable level.
Specifically, he said, the measures would improve the system for publicly disclosing property prices, strengthen reporting requirements for transactions involving pre-sold houses, give regulators more power to conduct investigative audits, and increase the penalties for providing inaccurate information or failing to report sales.