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Protests in Taiwan are expected to resume on Friday next week, regarding a controversial bill that that would significantly increase the parliament's investigative authority, reported Al Jazeera on Sunday.
The bill has already drawn tens of thousands of people to the streets. Tuesday's first reading of the bill coincided with a protest, which was held outside the legislature. On Friday, lawmakers continued debating the issue during its second reading as well. The Kuomintang (KMT), which is supporting the measure, claims the changes are required to "consolidate and refine" Taiwan's democracy, reported Al Jazeera. However, many legal professors and members of civil society are against it. Protesters are also against another bill that would enable a contentious but ambitious infrastructure project to connect the island's east and west shores. Protests this week came after a fight over the same issue broke out in the legislature last Friday; this kind of fighting is something of a political tradition in Taiwan. In the January election, William Lai Ching-te of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the presidency while the opposing KMT and smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP) won a majority in parliament. Citing a US-based political scientist, Austin Wang, who specialises in Taiwanese politics, Al Jazeera reported that the critics worry that it (the bill) would force government officials to provide sensitive information, endangering Taiwan's national security. The critics of the bill, further claim that it is unconstitutional and that its scope is excessively broad. The bill would theoretically give lawmakers the authority to look into, question, or demand documents from any president, military general, or government official. (ANI)
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