TAIWAN: PLAN TO PHASE OUT DEATH PENALTY OPPOSED

ruling Taiwanese Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers said that they oppose a Ministry of Justice plan to phase out the death penalty, claiming that a lack of capital punishment would increase the crime rate. The remarks came one day after the ministry said it plans to gradually achieve its goal through conducting extensive research and discussion, and through proposing complementary measures to win the support of the public. However, KMT Legislator Wu Ching-chih said it is not the right time to push for eliminating the death penalty. He claimed that Taiwan's social order is not good and that people do not have sufficient understanding of law and order. The existence of the death penalty serves as a warning to those who intend to engage in illicit activities, according to Wu, who vowed that if the ministry proposes a draft bill to abolish the death penalty in the next legislative session, he will oppose it. Chu Fong-chi, another KMT lawmaker, suggested keeping the death penalty in place, but urged local judges to exert more caution when handing down death sentences. KMT Legislator Lu Hsueh-chang said the ministry should respect public opinion, since there is no consensus on the abolishment. A day earlier, the ministry said in a statement that capital punishment is cruel and fails to demonstrate that punishments should also serve rehabilitation purposes.