Taiwanese Lawmakers Criticized for Budget Delays and Typhoon Holiday Decision

Taiwan's legislature is facing criticism for delaying the central government's budget for over 318 days. Opposition parties have been accused of delaying the budget review while simultaneously approving their own agency's spending. The Legislative Yuan's budget of over 387 million yuan was passed without any cuts, while the Control Yuan's budget faced significant reductions, with blue and white parties proposing cuts exceeding 270 million yuan.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an is under fire for his decision to grant a typhoon holiday on July 10th, despite weather reports suggesting the storm would not significantly impact the city. Chiang stated that the city's weather team and the Central Weather Administration predicted a severe impact from Typhoon Bavi. However, a report from a National Taiwan University (NTU) weather team, presented on the evening of July 9th, indicated that Bavi was weakening and would not enter Taipei's storm circle until July 11th. The NTU team also provided data showing minimal rainfall for Taipei on July 10th. Despite this, Chiang announced the holiday, leading to public questioning.

In a separate case, a father in Changhua County was forced to pay over 1.98 million yuan to prevent the seizure of his property. His son, who was a minor at the time, had acted as a "mule" for a fraud ring, defrauding a victim of approximately 2 million yuan. A court ordered the son and his accomplices to pay joint compensation. When the victim sought enforcement, the father's house was seized. To protect his property, the father paid the full amount and is now seeking to recover the shares from the other accomplices and their families.