Stellina Chen
Stellina Chen is an illustrator and a cartoonist with a special interest in world news.
What you need to know
Tens of thousands of Taiwanese citizens signed a petition to introduce flogging as a punishment for some crimes. Is this a serious proposal or a frustrated mob venting their anger?
Should Taiwan allow the police to flog citizens for drunk driving, sexual offenses or abusing children?
According to at least 26,862 people who signed an online petition in the past month, they should. This proposal is well past the threshold in which it must be addressed by the government — a hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 1, 2017.
Premier William Lai (賴清德) and Interior Minister Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮) have expressed doubts that the measure will go anywhere, but it nevertheless shows a startling distrust in the legal system.
Flogging or caning for public offenses is practiced in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, as well as several countries in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.
According to National Police Agency there were 104,756 cases of drunk driving recorded in 2016 resulting in 102 deaths.