KMT lawmakers seeking referendum on caning - Taipei Times

Seven Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) yesterday said they are launching a campaign to hold a referendum proposing caning as a punishment for people convicted of "major crimes," such as large-scale fraud, child abuse and sexual assault.

The purpose of the referendum, which has garnered support from all 52 members of the KMT caucus, is to allow Taiwanese to participate in the creation of major policies, and to gauge public support for alternative methods to deter and punish crimes such as child abuse, sexual assault and large-scale fraud, Hung told a news conference in Taipei.

A referendum would allow people to express their views before moving forward with legislation, particularly as the Cabinet has refused to sign and enforce several bills passed by the opposition-controlled legislature, he said.

Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times

If the referendum passes, the KMT would quickly propose legislation to implement corporal punishment, and demand the Cabinet put forward its own proposal, he said.

That could, at the earliest, start during the second legislative session this year from September to the end of December, Hung said.

Last year, the legislature passed an amendment to restore the practice of holding referendums on the same day as national or local elections if they occur during the period in which the referendum must take place.

Hung in October last year touted caning as a punishment for fraud, which sparked widespread discussion.

Hung wrote on Facebook about plans by the Singaporean government to expand the use of caning for scammers, while lamenting Taiwan's failure to stamp out crimes such as fraud and drunk driving, even with steadily increasing penalties.

At the time, critics of the proposition said that Taiwan could face international condemnation for implementing the measure, and that the government had signed onto the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits corporal punishment.

Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said it would be a "step backward" for human rights in Taiwan.

Chuang said he favored other approaches to combat fraud, such as increasing criminal penalties or making it more difficult for scammers to be granted parole.