Taipei: The main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) has voiced support for a rally to be held by civic groups in Taipei on August 1 that will call for judicial justice, stronger public safety, and tougher penalties for drug- and drunk-driving offenses. The rally is set to begin at 2 p.m. on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office, organized by several civic organizations to raise awareness of crime victims' rights and promote social fairness and justice. According to Focus Taiwan, the rally's basic appeal is to "Reject drug- and drunk-driving, people want safety, public order needs police, justice must be served." At a press conference, KMT legislative caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang described the rally as a collective call for safety, justice, and fairness, inviting those concerned about public safety and judicial justice to participate. KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Hsu Yu-chen highlighted the increasing prevalence of drug-impaired driving, which has claimed many innocent lives. She stated that the KMT caucus has proposed amendments in the Legislature's Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee to make drug-driving causing death punishable by death, and pledged to continue pushing these revisions forward. KMT Legislator Hung Mong-kai emphasized that the rally is nonpartisan and open to anyone who supports judicial justice, backs the police, and opposes drug- and drunk-driving. He compared the planned rally to a recent food safety demonstration, criticizing the ruling party for forcing people to take to the streets to demand food safety and public security. Lin Chih-hao, president of the National Association of Equality for Life, Taiwan, one of the groups organizing the rally, stated that the event will advocate for police officers' human rights, the right to life and on-duty safety, and crime victims' litigation rights. He urged the public, particularly judges and prosecutors, to attend the rally and show support for police officers and crime victims.
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