By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Taiwan Democracy Watch (TDW) yesterday expressed concern over the erosion of democracy as it released its annual top 10 democracy-related events, a review of democratic developments in the nation.
TDW observed three major threats against the nation’s democracy, but was also glad to see the rising influence of civil society, Hsu Wei-chun (徐偉群), spokesperson of the non-governmental organization, told a press conference.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The issue of imprisoned former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is likely to cause an internal feud at the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) party congress on Saturday, with opinions divided on whether to allow Chen to return to the party.
According to a press release issued on Sunday night by the office of Chen Shui-bian, who is serving a 20-year sentence for corruption, DPP Legislator Mark Chen (陳唐山) is preparing to propose reinstating the former president’s party membership at the congress.
TIME AND PLACE:：The DPP said that though the president deserved to be recalled, this was not the right time to do so given the row with Manila over the death of a fisherman
Staff reporter
Tue, May 21, 2013 - Page 1
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday urged President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to steer the nation back in the right direction — the anniversary of first and Ma’s second-term inaugurations — but said that now is not the right time to impeach him.
“While we think Ma deserves to be recalled, now is not the right time to do so because the country is embroiled in a diplomatic row with the Philippines,” DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) told a press conference, referring to Taipei’s engagement with Manila over the shooting of Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成) by Philippine Coast Guard personnel on May 9.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Political observers yesterday offered contrasting opinions about Taiwan’s “exit strategy” for its diplomatic row with the Philippines over the death of a Taiwanese fisherman.
Former presidential adviser Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏), who runs a fishing business in the Marshall Islands and is familiar with Taiwan’s fisheries issues, in response to media queries, advised President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration to push the envelope by asserting Taiwan’s rights within its 200 nautical mile (370km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
INFIGHTING:：When survey respondents were asked why they were dissatisfied with the party, unhealthy levels of competition between party factions ranked highest
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Mon, May 20, 2013 - Page 3
Concern regarding the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) ability to govern effectively remains strong despite the poor performance of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration, a public opinion survey released yesterday showed.
The poll, released by the Taiwan Brain Trust (TBT) think tank one week before the DPP’s party congress on Saturday, and one day before the anniversary of the start of Ma’s second term, found that respondents had at least six main concerns over the DPP, in particular its factionalism and somewhat vague policy on China.
Fri, May 17, 2013 - Page 8
A Taiwanese professor familiar with international law as well as the structure and operation of the UN once said that while he supports the nation’s bid for UN membership under the name “Taiwan,” if Taiwan were to be granted UN membership tomorrow, the country would have a hard time finding officials and academics with the experience and expertise to function as a delegation.
Taiwan has been excluded from international participation and the global community for so long that, generally speaking, Taiwanese lack knowledge of international politics and, even worse, have gradually lost interest in global affairs despite Taiwanese businesspeople being known for their courageous exploration of the world market, the professor said.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
A Chinese official’s description of Taiwanese independence as “worthless junk stock” was an insult to Taiwanese and unhelpful to the development of cross-strait relations, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
Describing the nature of cross-strait relations using stock market terminology in a meeting with Taiwanese businesspeople in Shanghai on Wednesday, Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Director Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) was quoted as saying that while the peaceful development of cross-strait relations was a “blue-chip stock,” the idea of Taiwanese independence “will eventually be proven a junk stock.”
CLARITY:The DPP caucus also urged Ma to explain the abrupt change in the government’s assessment of Manila’s response to its ultimatum on Wednesday
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus yesterday urged the government to abolish its temporary enforcement line in the Bashi Channel and assert its rights in its 200 nautical mile (370km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) amid escalated tensions with the Philippines.
The Fisheries Agency has unilaterally designated the 20° north latitude line as its temporary enforcement line, marking the area where the navy will provide protection for Taiwanese fishermen on the South China Sea.
WORDS, ACTION:：Activists criticized lawmakers for failing to fulfill vows to pass anti-media monopoly laws, saying that their proposal would set ‘red lines’ for news outlets
By Loa Iok-sin and Chris Wang / Staff reporters
Thu, May 16, 2013 - Page 4
Anti-media monopoly activists yesterday proposed their version of an anti-monopoly act and urged legislative caucuses across party lines to fulfill their promises to enact measures to prevent media monopolies.
“Despite many politicians across party lines promising that they would push for legislation against media monopolization, they have been rather unenthusiastic about turning their words into action,” Chiu Hei-yuan (瞿海源), a research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Sociology, told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan. “I hope lawmakers can show that they are sincere about this issue.”
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The pan-green camp yesterday reiterated its support of the government’s tough stance and sanctions against the Philippines over the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman, but said that the inconsistent position of the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in bilateral negotiations has been questionable.
The government recognized the Philippines’ “positive response” at a press conference called at 1am yesterday morning after five hours of negotiation, but subsequently changed its rhetoric, saying that Manila’s response was insincere as it announced a series of sanctions at 10am and 6pm yesterday.
‘ACT OF PIRACY’:In their statement, lawmakers from across party lines reiterated the demands made by the government in its 72-hour ultimatum to Manila
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Legislators from across party lines yesterday issued a joint statement demanding a formal apology from the Philippine government for the killing of Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成). Lawmakers also criticized Philippine President Benigno Aquino III for approaching the dispute from the perspective of its “one China” policy as the deadline of a 72-hour ultimatum that Taiwan gave the Philippines to meet the requests passed at midnight yesterday.
In the statement, the party caucuses of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the People First Party and the Taiwan Solidarity Union echoed the four demands made by President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration that Manila issue a formal apology, compensate Hung’s family, investigate the incident to identify and punish the perpetrators and initiate negotiations on a bilateral fisheries agreement.
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff Reporter
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III’s reiteration of the “one China” principle on Monday in his first public comment about the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by a Philippine government vessel has drawn ire from Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who yesterday slammed the Philippines for giving the incident a political tinge.
“The incident had nothing to do with the ‘one China’ model,” Wang said in response to media queries on Aquino’s comment.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Academics and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday advocated the establishment of a democratic alliance, based on participants’ firm belief in democracy, to advance human rights and freedom, and to combat the global phenomenon of a retreating democratic movement.
DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who initiated the campaign on a visit to Japan in February, told a forum organized by the DPP at its headquarters in Taipei yesterday that the value-based alliance would seek to consolidate East Asian democratic countries in particular.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his administration received 46.5 points out of a possible 100 for their performance during Ma’s five years in office, a public opinion poll released yesterday showed.
The poll, conducted by Taiwan Indicator Survey Research (TISR), comes a week before the anniversary of Ma’s first-term inauguration in 2008.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Although it is not a good time to criticize the government amid escalating tensions between Taiwan and the Philippines over the killing last week of a Taiwanese fisherman, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) must formulate a comprehensive plan to deal with the diplomatic row, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
The DPP supported the Ma administration’s 72-hour ultimatum to the Philippines demanding a formal apology, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) told a press conference.
