Taipei, July 12 (CNA) Vice President Annette Lu expressed hope Monday that a proposed national human rights committee can be introduced into the new constitution that President Chen Shui-bian promises to implement before he steps down in 2008.
Lu made the remarks when she invited Fredrick Chien, president of the Control Yuan, Chen Meng-ling, vice president of the Control Yuan, 13 Control Yuan members and several members of the advisory committee on human rights to the Presidential Office, for discussions at the Presidential Office about the proposed committee.
She noted that the president commissioned an advisory committee for the establishment of a human rights committee three years ago. The advisory committee has since drafted a bill for such a committee but the Legislative Yuan has not reviewed it.
She expressed the hope that such a committee can be introduced into the new constitution.
Chuang Kuo-ming, one of the members of the human rights advisory committee, said that if the Control Yuan and the Examination Yuan are abolished, he hopes the committee will be independent of the three remaining branches -- the executive, legislative and judicial.
But if the five-branch government remains in the new constitution, the Control Yuan would be best branch to concurrently serve as a human rights committee.