PUBLIC DISCUSSION: Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang is to hold a hearing on the petition to assess the effectiveness of flogging and possible human rights violations
Taipei Times
Date: Nov 22, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter
Following an online petition urging the government to punish drunk drivers, sex offenders
Premier William Lai speaks at an awards ceremony for outstanding agricultural production and marketing in Taipei yesterday. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
and child abusers by caning, Premier William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that Taiwanese society would have reservations about the potential human rights violations.
The petition, submitted to a government-funded policy discussion platform on Oct. 23, calls for the government to impose flogging as an additional punishment for drunk driving, sex offenses and violence against children.
With the petition being endorsed by 26,771 netizens, far exceeding the 5,000-signature threshold that requires an official reply from the government, Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳) is to preside over a public hearing to discuss the proposal on Dec. 1.
Although current sentiment might favor “a strict penal code in a time of turbulence,” Taiwan is a democratic and law-abiding nation where human rights are valued, Lai said, calling for a more in-depth discussion of the issue.
“A majority of the population will likely have reservations about adopting caning like in Singapore,” Lai said, without revealing his position on the issue. [FULL STORY]
