Taiwan legislature erupts in violence over ‘secret expenses' bill
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Loading... - Dylan Reid
- 30 May 2022
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Taiwan’s parliament erupted in violence on Monday as lawmakers clashed over a bill that critics say could be used to overturn former President Chen Shui-bian’s conviction on corruption charges.
The ruckus occurred after dozens of legislators from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), armed with signs and loudspeakers, took to the podium of the legislative chamber in the early morning to prevent a third reading of the bill.
Lawmakers pushed and shoved each other and threw water and paper as tensions over the bill boiled over.
One legislator from the ruling Democratic People’s Party (DPP) received a minor injury to his hand during a confrontation in which he was pushed out of the way.
The disorder subsided after an hour but as of midday, KMT legislators were still occupying a portion of the chamber with placards in tow.
A KMT spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
KMT legislators say that President Tsai Ing-wen has taken advantage of Taiwan’s recent COVID-19 outbreak to pass the legislation decriminalising the use of “secret state expenses” by the executive.
They say the bill could be used retroactively to exonerate Chen, Taiwan’s first president from Tsai’s independence-leaning DPP, who was implicated in a corruption scandal in 2008 and found guilty of misusing funds.
Chen, who led the self-ruled island between 2000 and 2008, was initially sentenced to life in prison, before his sentence was cut to 19 years. He is currently out of prison on medical parole.
Prior to his fall from grace, Chen was best known for unseating the pro-Beijing KMT after decades of single-party rule. Read More…
