Tue, Jul 29, 2014 - Page 8
It would not be surprising if the public feels as if the Taipei mayoral campaign has been going on forever.
First there was the raucous and prolonged Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) primary, which resulted in the selection of an independent candidate backed by the pan-green camp’s Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). However, the nine-in-one elections to be held on Nov. 29 are still four months away.
NOMINEES V ELECTIONS:Passage of the Control Yuan nominations tops the KMT’s list for the second extraordinary session, while the DPP is prioritizing an election-related bill
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have different priorities in the extraordinary two-week legislative session that opens to today, with the KMT likely to focus on passing the review of Control Yuan nominees
The review tops the 18-item agenda proposed by the KMT, followed by a special statute on governing the free economic pilot zones and a statute on oversight of the cross-strait agreements.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
On Wednesday, Penghu Commissioner Wang Chien-fa (王乾發) was lambasted for a planned visit to China that critics said showed a disregard for the potential damage to lives and properties caused by Typhoon Matmo, which brought fierce winds and torrential rain to the nation, and caused 17 injuries between late Tuesday and early Wednesday.
Wang’s scheduled trip to Shenzhen, in China’s Guangdong Province, was not discovered until the commissioner was found taking the first flight back to Penghu yesterday morning after a plane crash in the county killed 48 passengers and injured 10 on Wednesday night.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), who is seeking re-election, enjoys a lead of almost 40 percentage points over Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興), a public opinion poll released yesterday showed.
In a rematch between Chen, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and Yang, who ran against Chen four years ago, the mayor routed Yang 58.7 percent to 19.1 percent in the latest survey by the Want Want China Times poll center, the Chinese-language China Times reported yesterday.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is asking his supporters to stop criticizing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) for not seeking medical parole for him, the spokesperson of his private medical team said.
“[Chen] asked me to stop criticizing Tsai in my articles and public comments. He said that while he did not think what I did was a mistake, it would be better to stop criticizing Tsai and calling for people to cast spoilt ballots in the presidential election in 2016,” Janice Chen (陳昭姿), the spokesperson, wrote on Facebook on Tuesday night after visiting the former president in the prison hospital in Greater Taichung earlier that day.
By Chris Wang and Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporters
The campaign office of independent Taipei mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) pledged to review the hiring of a substitute services military draftee as the office’s information technology adviser after a media outlet reported the controversial move yesterday.
Yen Yi-cheng (顏易程), a draftee of the three-year research and development substitute services, has been working as an aide to Ko in charge of the campaign office’s Internet services and security system, the Chinese-language Next Magazine yesterday reported.
Tue, Jul 22, 2014 - Page 8
For the time being, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is able to evade the controversial proposal to freeze the party’s Taiwan independence clause after DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) sent it to the party’s Central Executive Committee for further discussion at the party congress on Sunday.
Rest assured that the issue is set to cause infighting and fiery debate within the party in the future. When it comes to independence, things have always been complex.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Initiators of the controversial proposal to freeze the Taiwan independence clause in the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) charter yesterday said that DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) reserving the proposal for future discussion was a “wise decision.”
“[Tsai’s handling of the proposal] was good for the party... I respect her move. It was a wise decision,” former DPP legislator Chen Zau-nan (陳昭南), who drafted the proposal with former DPP legislator Julian Kuo (郭正亮), told a radio interview hosted by Clara Chou (周玉蔻).
‘CAN’T DO’ ATTITUDE:The independent candidate rejected Sean Lien’s criticism that the policy was not feasible, saying his rival lacks the determination to tackle the issue
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Independent Taipei mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said that his campaign platform on public housing, which aims to build 50,000 rent-only units in the city, is “workable” and that his main rival’s criticism shows “his unwillingness to tackle the housing issue.”
“Public housing is a difficult task, but a mayor has to have the determination to resolve it and has to be at least aggressive,” Ko said during a campaign stop at the Social Housing Advocacy Consortium, in response to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Sean Lien’s (連勝文) campaign office statement that Ko’s plan was not feasible.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) leadership for the next two years took shape yesterday during elections at the annual congress as DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) gained an ability to influence the party’s power structure for the first time.
Tsai, who neither established her own alliance nor became affiliated with any grouping when she served as chairperson between 2008 and 2012, yesterday saw allies voted onto the party’s key decisionmaking bodies — the Central Executive Committee and the Central Standing Committee.
COMMITTEE CURVE BALL:Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen headed off contentious debate by pushing a raft of policy proposals to a committee
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday sent all the proposals in the national party congress regarding the DPP’s China policy, including the widely discussed freezing of its Taiwan independence clause, to the party’s Central Executive Committee without discussion, defusing potential tension surrounding the issue despite drawing criticism from party members.
Citing time constraints, Tsai, who presided over the meeting, proposed to send the initiatives to the committee because there was “not enough time left for a thorough discussion over the much-disputed and important issue regarding changing the party charter.”
CHANGHUA DEAL?The party visited the father of an independent hopeful in the county to discuss a partnership, but said it still thinks its candidate can win
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it was cautiously optimistic about the Greater Taichung mayoral election in November, with the party’s candidate, DPP Legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), leading incumbent Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) by almost 20 percentage points in the party’s latest survey.
“In a poll conducted by the DPP three days ago, Lin enjoyed a comfortable lead of 48 percent to Hu’s 29 percent. Moreover, 45.3 percent of respondents favored Lin as the winner, with only 29.6 percent picking Hu, who is seeking re-election,” DPP spokesperson Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) said.
FREEZE ENOUGH:In response to protests, Chen Zau-nan said that the nation has been independent ever since it began democratic elections, so declaring it is not an issue
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Debate among Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members over whether the party should freeze the Taiwan independence clause in its charter arose again yesterday ahead of a party congress to be held on Sunday.
A group of pro-independence advocates expressed strong opposition to a proposal to freeze the clause by protesting in front of the DPP’s headquarters in Taipei yesterday and called for the proposal’s initiators, former DPP legislators Julian Kuo (郭正亮) and Chen Zau-nan (陳昭南), to resign from the party.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Independent Taipei mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday confirmed that he has been trying to recruit political commentator Yao Li-ming (姚立明) as his campaign director to widen the appeal of his efforts to lead the capital, which he says will focus on garnering non-partisan support.
Responding to a report by Chinese-language newspaper the Apple Daily, Ko told reporters that he had offered Yao, a professor in Chinese Culture University’s Department of Public Administration and Management, the position, but no decision has been made yet.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday said she would not give up her effort to initiate a local referendum to stop the installation of fuel rods in the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant if her appeal is rejected by the Taipei High Administrative Court next month.
Lu filed a provisional injunction in January after the Executive Yuan’s Referendum Review Committee in May last year rejected a proposal regarding the plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).
DEMOCRACY:Two new initiatives — Youth Power and Youth Council — aim to get young people voting and discussing political issues, DPP officials said
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday announced two youth-oriented programs aimed at encouraging the young to participate in politics, which it says is crucial to deepening Taiwan’s democracy and reforming the party.
The first program, Youth Power, encourages people aged 23 to 40 to participate in the November elections for township councilors and borough and village wardens.
Tue, Jul 15, 2014 - Page 8
Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who is serving a 20-year sentence for corruption, has always been a potent totem not only for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), but also many Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters to point to when it comes to what was wrong with his administration.
For the KMT and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Chen has always been an easy target, as they seek to remind voters what happened when they cast their votes for the other — read wrong — party and the other — read really wrong — candidate, and strive to convince the public that the DPP is the party of corruption, not the KMT, even though the KMT turned “black gold” into an art form.
DISILLUSIONMENT:About 70 percent of respondents polled do not have faith in the judicial system. President Ma’s approval rating also dipped 6.3 points to 14.8 percent
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
A public opinion poll released yesterday showed most people do not trust lawmakers and law enforcement officials, and believe that not even a change of administration would change the situation.
Asked whether the judiciary is able to safeguard social justice and fairness, 69.1 percent of respondents said no, while only 17 percent said yes and 13.9 percent did not give an answer, the poll by Taiwan Indicators Survey Research showed.
Staff writer, with CNA
Tue, Jul 15, 2014 - Page 1
Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧) resigned yesterday amid an uproar over his alleged connection to an academic who has had dozens of his papers retracted from an international journal due to suspected manipulation of the peer-review process.
“After reflection overnight, in order to safeguard my own reputation ... I have decided to resign as education minister,” Chiang told a press conference in Taipei.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Public opinion polls released yesterday showed that independent Taipei mayoral hopeful Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) remain head and shoulders above their respective opponents in the run-up to the year-end elections, while Taoyuan County Commissioner John Wu (吳志揚) has erased his deficit in the rankings.
The polls in the three constituencies were conducted by the Chinese-language Apple Daily.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Opposition parties yesterday called for Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧) to step down amid an academic scandal that has made international headlines and urged the nation’s academics to review the system as it places too much emphasis on dissertations.
Chiang was embroiled in the controversy after being listed as a coauthor in five of 60 articles submitted by former National Pingtung University associate professor Chen Chen-yuan (陳震遠) and retracted from the Journal of Vibration and Control over allegations of falsified peer reviews.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
If the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is able to do well in the seven-in-one elections in November, Beijing would have no option but to adjust its strategy toward the party because it has always been pragmatic, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said in an interview.
“Simply put, whoever seizes the momentum, others would shift toward the powerful side,” Tsai said in response to a question about the DPP’s relations with Beijing in an interview with the Chinese-language CommonWealth Magazine published on Wednesday.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Increasing yuan deposits in Taiwan without sufficient regulation could exacerbate the nation’s economic dependence on China in the future and leave the banking industry open to Chinese manipulation, a Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) lawmaker said yesterday.
Citing central bank statistics, TSU Legislator Lai Cheng-chang (賴振昌) told a press conference that the total amount of yuan in Taiwan as of May this year was more than NT$290 billion (US$9.63 billion), of which more than 60 percent was deposited at the Bank of China’s Taipei branch.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) should apply the same standards when replacing its candidates in November’s seven-in-one elections because they are involved in allegations of corruption, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
“If Keelung City Council Speaker Huang Ching-tai (黃景泰) is to be stripped of his nomination for the Keelung mayoral election due to his role in an alleged corruption case, why are candidate for Taitung County commissioner Justin Huang (黃健庭) and candidate for Miaoli County commissioner Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌) able to retain their nominations?” DPP spokesperson Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) asked at a press conference in Taipei.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Special Investigation Division’s (SID) subpoena of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) over a case of missing documents during former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration was an abuse of power because it fell beyond the division’s jurisdiction, the DPP said yesterday.
After the party on Tuesday accused the SID of violating the law by not stating the origin of the case on its subpoena and said the subpoena could be politically motivated, the division said that it had subpoenaed witnesses, including Wu, for investigation into missing official documents from the Presidential Office.
WITCH-HUNT?While the DPP claimed that the subpoena violated the Code of Criminal Procedure, the SID denied its investigation had any pre-election political considerations
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Special Investigation Division (SID) of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s subpoena of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) could be illegal and politically motivated, the DPP said yesterday.
“Wu was listed as an ‘interested party’ in a recent subpoena from the SID... on which no details of the case were listed. The division appears to have violated the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法),” DPP spokesperson Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) told a press conference.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Taiwan should seize the opportunity presented by Japan’s recent removal of a ban on collective self-defense and seek to upgrade bilateral relations on economic and security cooperation, a think tank said yesterday.
“As a think tank, we support Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s removal of the ban on collective self-defense rights because it benefits Taiwan’s security,” Taiwan Brain Trust executive director Liu Shih-chung (劉世忠) told a symposium.
Tue, Jul 08, 2014 - Page 8
For those who are familiar with the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) history, the seven-in-one elections in November would be reminiscent of the mayoral and commissioner elections in 1997, when the party defeated the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in terms of the number of elected mayors and commissioners.
To most people’s surprise, the DPP achieved its most successful campaign in local elections to date, going from having six local government leaders to 12. The result put it ahead of the KMT’s eight and left the DPP in charge of 70 percent of the nation’s population.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislator Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲) yesterday said she had not ruled out running for Changhua County commissioner in November as an independent despite such a move possibly hurting the pan-green camp’s chances of winning the constituency.
“Whether or not a candidate should run in an election should be decided by the voters, not by political parties,” Huang, who was stripped of her TSU membership because she insisted on running, told a press conference.
‘PRINCELING’ TRIO:Mayoral candidate Yu Shyi-kun said New Taipei City’s mayor was part of a group from political families, urging people to vote against them
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) launched his bid for another four-year term yesterday by completing his registration with the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) local chapter, vowing to stay in the race to the end amid speculation that he could abandon the mayor’s office to focus on the 2016 presidential election.
After he completed the registration process, Chu told reporters that his re-election campaign headquarters would be established at an appropriate date, adding that his campaign team would be comprised of people from every sector of society.
PEOPLE RULE:Lin I-hsiung announced a foundation that intends to change the laws about referendums and recalls so that ‘people can determine their fate’
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) has established a new foundation to promote amending the Referendum Act (公民投票法), the Civil Servant Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) and the Constitution so that “Taiwanese people could determine their own fate through a democratic process.”
The People Rule Foundation (人民作主教育基金會) plans to launch its first official event — a march around the nation — in September, beginning in the eastern counties of Taitung and Hualien, the foundation said in its mission statement issued yesterday.
NOT CHASING CHU:The DPP chairperson said that her role as campaign director for New Taipei City mayoral candidate Yu Shyi-kun was returning a favor to a colleague
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday dismissed a rumor alleging that she is trying to “annihilate” New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) potential presidential campaign two years in advance.
She also made remarks on what she described as the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) traditional smear campaign tactics.
CROSS-STRAIT EXCHANGES:While support for a Ma-Xi meeting has waned, 62 percent of respondents back regular visits by ministerial-level officials to push peace
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Public support for a meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) appears to have plummeted in the past year, with the majority of respondents in a public opinion survey released yesterday saying such a meeting was unnecessary.
The poll, conducted by Taiwan Indicators Survey Research, asked respondents if they support a meeting between Ma and Xi before Ma’s term ends in 2016, and found that 54.4 percent opposed it, 26.5 percent said it was necessary and 19.1 percent gave no answer.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Neither the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) nor Beijing came out as a winner in the just-concluded visit of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍), panelists said in a symposium in Taipei yesterday.
Reviewing the first visit by a Chinese minister to Taiwan in more than six decades, which was dogged by protests during its four days, panelists told the forum organized by the pro-independence Taiwan Brain Trust that the trip was only a “publicity drive” for Zhang, with the Taiwanese government sidelined.
DEMOCRACY AT RISK?The DPP said that cross-strait negotiations since the ECFA was signed have affected the economy and put the nation’s democracy at risk
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) has failed to bring promised prosperity for Taiwan and President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration was irresponsible in hastily pushing through the pact, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday on the fourth anniversary of the signing of the cross-strait pact.
Dubbed by international media as a “landmark agreement” upon its signing on June 29, 2009, it was signed without an impact assessment or sector-by-sector analysis, and the negotiation process was not monitored by the legislature, DPP spokesperson Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) said in a press release.
YOUNG AND DISCONTENTED:：During the symposium participants said that the majority of protesters were young people which showed the changing political climate in Taiwan
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Mon, Jun 30, 2014 - Page 1
The recently concluded visit of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) exposed the danger of the President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration’s attempt to merge “two distinctively different civilizations and the fragility of Taiwan’s democracy and civic society,” panelists at a symposium said yesterday.
“Never think that the tragedy of the 228 Incident cannot happen in the 21st century,” retired National Taiwan University professor Kenneth Lin (林向愷) told the symposium, organized by the Taiwan Association of University Professors.
Sun, Jun 29, 2014 - Page 8
For any democratically elected administration, it is perhaps neither a smart nor a justified move to be the enemy of young people, who are supposed to be the future of the nation, and the media, the eyes and ears of the people. President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration has been able to achieve both.
During the four-day visit by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍), the administration used what appeared to be disproportionate state violence against young people who protested the Chinese official’s visit.
By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Chris Wang / Staff reporters
Fri, Jun 27, 2014 - Page 1
Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday sparked further controversy over a raid at the Novotel Hotel at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport by saying that collective rights are of equal importance to an individual’s private rights, including rights to accommodation.
Jiang made the remarks when addressing Aboriginal issues at a press conference at the Executive Yuan held to announce the recognition of Hla’alua and Kanakanavu as the nation’s 15th and 16th indigenous groups.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Fri, Jun 27, 2014 - Page 3
Those who oppose the cross-strait service trade agreement are in the minority, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview with English-language magazine Forbes Asia last week, in which he warned that the opposition pose a “major challenge” to the nation’s democracy.
The June 19 interview touched on a wide range of issues, including the divisive service trade pact, national security and the year-end elections. The magazine published an excerpt of the interview online yesterday, with the full version to be published in print on July 21.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) is not hearing “the true voices of Taiwanese” as he tours the nation, but rather those of pro-China businesspeople and of Chinese spouses and students living in Taiwan, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday.
Prior to leaving on his first trip to Taiwan, Zhang said he wanted to hear what the nation’s citizens have to say, in particular those who Beijing has dubbed the “three middles and the youth (三中一青)” — residents of central and southern Taiwan; middle and low-income families; small and medium-sized enterprises; and young people.
‘IRREPLACEABLE’:Tsai cited Yu’s experience as premier and Yilan County commissioner as he readies to face the DPP’s toughest opponent in Mayor Eric Chu
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday campaigned for the party’s New Taipei City mayoral candidate, Yu Shyi-kun, denying rumors that Yu would eventually be replaced.
“The election will be a challenge for us, but we are determined to achieve the best results,” Tsai said at a breakfast meeting in the city’s Banciao District (板橋) yesterday morning, a day after Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) announced his decision to run for re-election.
By Chris Wang and Alison Hsiao / Staff reporters
Thu, Jun 26, 2014 - Page 3
Opposition parties yesterday accused the National Security Bureau (NSB) and the police of breaking into a hotel room near Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to expel people they suspected would protest against China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍), saying the act was a serious violation of human rights and an abuse of power.
Members of Democracy Tautin who checked into room No. 649 of the Novotel Hotel near the airport accused the bureau and the police of breaking into their room without a search warrant yesterday morning and ordering them to leave prior to the Zhang’s arrival.
CHINA OFFICIAL VISITS:：Activists said that they were deprived of their freedom and told to vacate their rooms at the Novotel just because Zhang Zhijun was visiting
By Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter
Thu, Jun 26, 2014 - Page 1
Activists yesterday accused the government of abuse of power after a group of “unidentified people” charged into their rooms at the Novotel in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and demanded that they move out before China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) was to meet his Taiwanese counterpart, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦), at the hotel.
Rights activist and attorney Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) condemned the government and Novotel over the hotel’s treatment of him as a guest.
Tue, Jun 24, 2014 - Page 8
Six years after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) entered office, Taiwanese have realized that Ma has a bizarre sense of justice, historical understanding and foreign policy direction, as well as a distorted national pride.
In a long list of diplomatic incidents during the past six years, the embattled president has always tried to deflect public scrutiny about his weaknesses and incompetence in domestic affairs by resorting to hawkish positions and disproportionate measures against other countries.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday urged Beijing to respect the result of an ongoing “illegal” referendum on democratic reform, that has drawn nearly 650,000 votes since it opened online, as it voiced support for Hong Kongers’ aspiration for democracy and reform. “As the referendum is ongoing, we think that more people will cast their votes. This has been a victory for all Hong Kongers. We call for Beijing to respect the result and Hong Kongers’ expression of their ideals in a peaceful and rational manner,” Department of China Affairs director Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) said. The DPP has been watching the situation in Hong Kong closely, not only because Taiwan paid a dear price en route to attaining democracy but also because democracy, human rights and liberty are universal values, Chao said.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and innovation — not large corporations and capitalists — are what should drive Taiwan’s next-generation economy, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said in an interview published online yesterday, warning that the nation’s economic development can not afford to favor the rich and the powerful anymore.
In an interview with the Chinese-language Common Wealth magazine that touched upon the issues of the proposed free economic pilot zones and free trade, Tsai highlighted the urgency for Taiwan to develop a new economic model for prosperity and President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration’s fallacious economic policy scheme.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
If China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) mentions the “one China framework” and says Taiwan’s future should be decided by all Chinese people in his four-day visit to Taiwan, the government should immediately deport him, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus said yesterday.
As Zhang’s visit between tomorrow and Saturday is to mark the first visit of a Chinese official in their official capacity, the DPP and pan-green camp supporters were closely watching his itinerary, potential moves and the political implication of his trip.
‘REGRETTABLE’:：The Tokyo National Museum apologized, which the National Palace Museum accepted, while rebutting criticism that it and MOFA had been slow to act
By Shelley Shan and Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Tue, Jun 24, 2014 - Page 1
The Tokyo National Museum yesterday apologized over the controversy generated by some of the posters promoting the exhibition of collections from the National Palace Museum in Taipei that omitted the word “national” in reference to the official title of the Taiwanese museum, an act that was perceived by the government to have undermined the nation’s dignity.
Tokyo National Museum director Masami Zeniya said at a press conference yesterday afternoon that the museum had recognized the mistake and quickly addressed it.
‘NUMBERS GAME’:Yu Shyi-kun focused on his ‘1453’ social housing policy, while Lin Chi-chia touted his ‘54321’ platform. They are to debate again on Wednesday
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Following the pattern of pan-green camp integration in Taipei, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) New Taipei City mayoral hopeful Yu Shyi-kun (游錫?) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) hopeful Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) engaged in a televised debate yesterday ahead of a public opinion poll on Thursday to determine the final pan-green camp candidate in the November election.
The contenders talked about their vision for the nation’s largest constituency, which has a population of 3.96 million, in a televised debate yesterday at Formosa Television in the last push of their campaigns before the poll, where they would each be matched against New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫).
‘DOUBLE STANDARD’:The groups said Zhang Zhijun’s visit comes at a bad time after the TAO’s recent remarks, and Ma was weak on China, but hawkish on other nations
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Pro-independence groups yesterday said that they opposed the upcoming nationwide “inspection tour” by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) and called for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to stop applying “double standards” to Taiwan’s engagement with China compared with other foreign countries.
“We have a three-point statement for recent political development. First, Taiwan’s future should be decided by its 23 million people and no one else. Second, Ma should stop his ‘double standards’ and, third, the itinerary of Zhang’s visit to Taiwan should follow conventional diplomatic practice,” Taiwan Society president Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲) told a press conference.
‘WARNING’:：Members of the opposition said Chang’s removal was to make an example of her and to warn judges to be involved in Wang Jin-pyng’s second trial
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Sat, Jun 21, 2014 - Page 1
Chang Yu-feng (張瑜鳳), the division chief judge who oversaw a case involving Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) at the Taipei District Court, was removed from the panel of chief judges, sparking speculation yesterday that she was being punished for ruling against the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
In a Judicial Yuan review of all chief judges on Wednesday, Chang was removed by a seven to four vote due to what the committee said was a “poor performance.” She was the only one who failed to pass the review, which involved 34 judges.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
A lawmaker and a Hualien County Councilor of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday questioned the Hualien County Government over permission it granted for a road race event to a private firm for a maximum of 30 years, saying the move is an abuse of administrative power.
The Executive Yuan’s Public Construction Commission said on June 5 that the county government had violated the principle of proportionality after the county recently allowed a private firm to stage the event for 15 years, with a conditional extension of the contract for another 15 years, DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) and Hualien County Councilor Liu Hsiao-mei (劉曉玫) of the DPP told a press conference.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers representing “non-special municipality” cities and counties yesterday said they would propose a 10-year, NT$100 billion (US$3.33 billion) project to help local governments’ finances and to close the gap in general development between the six special municipalities and local regions.
The six special municipalities — Taipei City, New Taipei City, Greater Taichung, Greater Tainan, Greater Kaohsiung and Taoyuan County, which is scheduled to be promoted to special municipality status by the end of the year — take up only 30 percent of the nation’s territory, but have created a magnet effect by accounting for more than 70 percent of the population and sucking up most government funding, Pingtung County DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) told a press conference.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said he favored presidentialism as the system of government for Taiwan, because a powerful president is more likely to push vital reforms, the Chinese-language Wealth magazine reported.
Asked to choose between the presidential system and parliamentary system, Lee said in an interview with the magazine that while the latter has advantages and is supported by many, the former would better fit Taiwan.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday officially confirmed its collaborative partnership with independent Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) in the Taipei mayoral election, putting in place the final piece of the puzzle as the party gears up for the mayoral race in northern Taiwan’s four major constituencies in November.
The party decided against nominating its own candidate and opted to support Ko in Taipei, where the DPP has failed to win since former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) served as mayor from 1994 to 1998.
HOUSING TROUBLE:：Wads of cash were found in the speaker’s office during a search, after prosecutors received a tip-off about alleged influence-peddling
By Yu Chao-fu and Sean Lin / Staff reporter, with staff writer, and CNA
Thu, Jun 19, 2014 - Page 1
Prosecutors yesterday requested the detention of Keelung City Council Speaker Huang Ching-tai (黃景泰) on suspicion of influence peddling in a number of construction projects.
The prosecution asked the Keelung District Court to grant its request following a marathon questioning session of 12 hours, saying that it was afraid Huang could flee the country or collude with others to the detriment of their case.
The detention hearing was still ongoing at press time last night.
UNDER THREAT:：The Next Media Group and a Hong Kong referendum Web site were hacked, presumably by China, but both said they would not bow to attacks on democracy
By Yang Yuan-ting and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer and Reuters
Thu, Jun 19, 2014 - Page 1
Taiwan’s Apple Daily yesterday issued a statement condemning the hacking of the Next Media Group’s (壹傳媒集團) Web sites earlier yesterday, saying that it was a severe infringement on media liberty and political oppression against Hong Kongers’ efforts toward democracy.
The Apple Daily statement said there was reason to believe that the attacks originated from China and were meant to batter the determination of Hong Kongers to achieve democracy, and to attack the pro-general elections Next Media Group, because the electronic voting system set up to gather support for general elections in Hong Kong had also gone down.
PRIVATE HOLDINGS:Lin Chih-chia questioned the New Taipei City mayor’s alleged failure to report a shareholding in a company that his father-in-law owns
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) will run for re-election in the mayoral election in November because he has no other option, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) — who is also the party’s candidate in the election — told a press conference yesterday.
“I would say [the possibility of Chu running for re-election is] 100 percent. It’s my assessment though — you don’t have to believe me, but time will tell,” Lin said, adding that he had full confidence that he could beat Chu by more than 100,000 votes in the election.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday denied assertions by former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) that the party’s collaboration with independent hopeful Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) in the Taipei mayoral election was a personal decision by DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), saying it was a “collective decision of the party.”
“The decision not to nominate our own candidate in the election was made by the Central Executive Committee and it was a response to people’s expectations. However, we respect [Lu’s] comment,” DPP spokesperson Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) said.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
National Development Council Minister Kuan Chung-min (管中閔) yesterday defended the government’s proposal to establish free economic pilot zones and urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to give the policy a “fair chance” to succeed.
In an open letter published by the Chinese-language Apple Daily yesterday, Kuan challenged the view of DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who expressed her concern and opposition to the project in a letter published by the same newspaper on Monday.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) free economic pilot zones policy is based on faulty logic, which assumes more market opening would lead to economic prosperity, without recognizing the importance of upgrading Taiwan’s industrial structure, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Engaged in a debate in the past two weeks with the Ma administration over the impact of the planned pilot zone project, which looks to serve as a model for business convenience and liberalization, Tsai wrote an open letter, published by the Chinese-language Apple Daily yesterday.
TIME FOR CHANGE?Civic groups said the president has been using nominations for the Examination and Control yuans as a tool to hand out political rewards
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Opposition parties and pro-independence groups yesterday called for the elimination of the Control Yuan and the Examination Yuan, with groups advocating the drafting of a new constitution to better fit the nation’s needs.
As lawmakers are set to review the qualification standards of the nominees for the two yuans this week and next week in the extra legislative session, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said the two institutions are better off being eliminated.
The great urge to learn everything about soccer during World Cup tournaments has become the norm in Taiwan every four years.
If a visitor was to browse the news, they might assume that the nation’s craze for soccer was similar to that in other parts of the world, going hand-in-hand with a professional soccer league and a couple of star players.
That is not the case. Taiwan ranks 176th among 207 members in the latest FIFA world ranking. It has neither a pro league, nor any soccer stars to speak of. The sport, like many others, has never caught the public’s attention and perhaps nine out of 10 Taiwanese have never watched a non-World Cup soccer game.
PAN-GREEN UNITY:The DPP told Ko it would not nominate its own candidate to run against him, and agreed with the TSU to field a candidate together for New Taipei City
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday made an unofficial commitment to independent Taipei mayoral hopeful Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) that it would not nominate its own candidate in the election and reached an agreement with the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) that only one candidate would represent the pan-green camp in the New Taipei City mayoral election.
DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬), who served as convener of a task force for the DPP’s Taipei mayoral primary, issued a joint statement after a two-hour meeting with Ko that the DPP agreed to cooperate with the independent candidate to end the decade-long governance of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in Taipei.
RUMOR MILLS:As the independent candidate readied his mayoral effort, New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu dismissed reports describing a KMT alliance for a 2016 presidential run
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Independent Taipei mayoral hopeful Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is scheduled to visit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters in Taipei today for a discussion of campaign details after defeating rival contender DPP Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) in a DPP primary on Friday, Ko’s campaign office said.
Meanwhile, New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) said various reports published recently about his possible presidential bid and political moves were “all made up.”
‘LACK OF RESPECT’:The TSU took offense to a remark by a Chinese official saying Taiwan’s future ‘should be decided by all Chinese, including Taiwanese’
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday that it did not rule out mobilizing its supporters to “shadow” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) during his visit next week, adding that it would demand an apology from the official for what it said was an insulting comment from Beijing.
Zhang’s four-day visit from June 25 to June 28, during which he is to visit New Taipei City, Greater Taichung and Greater Tainan, comes on the heels of TAO spokesperson Fan Liqing’s (范麗青) remarks last week that “Taiwan’s future should be decided by all Chinese people, including Taiwanese.”
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Sat, Jun 14, 2014 - Page 1
National Taiwan University Hospital physician Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday beat Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) in a public opinion survey and is widely expected to represent the pan-green camp in the Taipei mayoral election in November if the DPP decides not to nominate its own candidate.
A public poll that matched Ko and Yao against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate and former Taipei EasyCard Corp (悠遊卡公司) chairman Sean Lien (連勝文) was conducted on Thursday night to determine the final pan-green camp candidate.
THE ‘NORM’:The KMT has made extra sessions ‘de rigueur,’ and a poll has found Ma’s instructions to his caucus to push through legislation questionable, the DPP said
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) are abusing extra legislative sessions and filling them with controversial agenda items, without including any significant proposals from the opposition, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
“The three-week extra session is the 11th since Ma assumed office in May 2008. The KMT has made the extraordinary session an ordinary norm,” DPP Legislator Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told a press conference yesterday morning as the extra session began.
THINK TANK SURVEY:The Taiwan Brain Trust said its latest poll found 60.5 percent of respondents see themselves as Taiwanese — the highest level in the past five surveys
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
A public opinion poll has found that a majority of respondents disapprove of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) pushing the cross-strait service trade agreement through the legislature and do not understand his free economic pilot zones project.
The latest poll conducted by the pro-independence Taiwan Brain Trust found that 60.2 percent of respondents did not support Ma telling the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus to push for the passage of the controversial trade pact in the extra legislative session that begins tomorrow, the think tank said yesterday.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Pro-independence advocates yesterday expressed strong support for Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai’s (賴清德) remarks about Taiwanese independence during his recent visit to Shanghai as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rejected Beijing’s claim that Taiwan’s future should be decided by “all Chinese people, including Taiwanese.”
The DPP’s independence charter and Resolution on Taiwan’s Future were part of the trajectory of Taiwan’s history and removing the charter would not eliminate the aspiration of Taiwanese for independence, Lai told an audience in Shanghai on Friday last week.
‘OUTDATED’:：A former finance minister said the government’s economic policy seems to be stuck in the 1970s and 1980s, when export processing zones drove GDP growth
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter, in Greater Taichung
Wed, Jun 11, 2014 - Page 3
A mature and open economy like Taiwan should not bank on the establishment of special economic zones to drive economic development, and even if they are necessary, they would be completely different from what President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration has proposed, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
“The DPP will demand that the government submit a comprehensive plan and assessment on how the free economic pilot zones would help upgrade Taiwan’s industry and benefit local sectors before agreeing to review the special statute awaiting screening in the legislature. The party does not rule out proposing its own initiative,” Tsai said at the conclusion of the DPP’s two-day policy meeting in Greater Taichung.
PAPER TIGER:The party made the call after China’s State Council issued a paper on the limits to the territory’s freedom seen as a warning against a pro-democracy protest
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter with Reuters, HONG KONG
The Chinese government should respect the right of Hong Kongers to enjoy basic liberties and pursue freedoms, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
The DPP’s remarks came hours after China warned Hong Kong that there were limits to the territory’s freedom and said that it should adhere strictly to the law ahead of a planned pro-democracy protest that could end up shutting down part of the territory’s Central District.
Tue, Jun 10, 2014 - Page 8
As much as Taiwan craves international attention, sometimes it has found itself in international headlines through no action of its own. More often than not, this has happened because of its neighbor across the Taiwan Strait.
Last week, actress Angelina Jolie drove the Middle Kingdom into a frenzy by telling the Associated Press that she admired director Ang Lee (李安), adding: “I’m not sure if you consider Ang Lee Chinese, he’s Taiwanese, but he does many Chinese-language films with many Chinese artists and actors.”
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) yesterday described his two-day trip to Shanghai as successful “city diplomacy,” and downplayed his comments about Taiwan independence and a potential presidential bid in 2016.
“Everything I said [in China] was no different than what I have said in Taiwan before. They understood that and they knew the point I was trying to make was seeking common ground and shelving differences,” Lai told a press conference at the Greater Tainan Government.
ECONOMIC REVIVAL:The government should concentrate on promoting industrial upgrading and transformation, and developing core industries, the DPP leader said
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter, in Greater Taichung
The government’s free economic pilot zones (FEPZs) project is an “empty” policy that showcases the fundamental error that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration has made in its move to revive the nation’s economy, Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday in Greater Taichung.
“The FEPZ project could serve as a policy tool and a supplementary measure to stimulate the domestic economy, but it should be goal-oriented and selective,” Tsai said in her opening remarks at a party policy meeting aimed at discussing key agenda for the extra legislative session that begins on Friday.
RESOLUTE:An Executive Yuan spokesperson said the premier hoped the DPP and TSU would be present at the event because it concerns the nation’s economic future
By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) is still hoping for a change of heart from opposition leaders on the upcoming national affairs conference on economics and trade, Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) said yesterday.
The Executive Yuan has tried to contact the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) over possible meetings between Jiang and DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝), to persuade them to attend the conference.
‘TAIWANESE VOICE’:Democratic Progressive Party members erupted in a chorus of praise in the wake of Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai’s comments in China
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) must seek common ground with Beijing while shelving its differences to achieve closer bilateral engagement, Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday.
“Taiwanese have become more suspicious of improving ties amid increasing bilateral exchanges because Beijing has been unable to hear ‘the voice of the other side.’ And that is why the DPP has decided that it must pursue engagement,” Lai said in Greater Tainan.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) and Taoyuan County Commissioner John Wu (吳志揚) yesterday rejected a media report about the possible replacement of Hu and Wu as candidates in the year-end mayoral and commissioner elections due to their low support rates.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) yesterday reported that the KMT could duplicate the so-called “Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) model” by withdrawing the nomination of Hu, who has been having a tough re-election campaign, and the embattled Wu, who reportedly is considered to have been tainted by association with a snowballing corruption scandal surrounding his former deputy Yeh Shih-wen (葉世文).
UNIFIED POSITIONS:Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-Wen laid out ambitious goals for a two-day gathering starting today in Greater Taichung
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) opens a two-day meeting today in Greater Taichung to discuss policies and a unified position on a number of agendas, in particular on several cross-strait issues, for the upcoming extra legislative session.
Convened by DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the “enlarged policy meeting” is to bring together DPP legislators, party officials as well as mayors, and commissioners of DPP-governed administrative zones or their deputies.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said that it would not send representatives to the national affairs conference on economics and trade organized by President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration and that it would organize a civic economics conference to address “the real economic issues.”
The government’s national conference focuses only on trade, exports and reliance on China — “relatively old thinking on national economics policy” — and would not address people’s expectations and Taiwan’s economic woes, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said after the party’s weekly Central Standing Committee (CSC) meeting, the first CSC since DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) assumed the post again.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Chinese government was advised to release all political prisoners and face the bloodstained Tiananmen Square Massacre with respect for human rights so that “the historic wounds would be healed,” the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday on the 25th anniversary of the watershed incident in modern Chinese history.
The shadow of the haunting memory has not gone away after a quarter of century despite China being an emerging global power with great influence over regional and global affairs, DPP Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) told a press conference, at which the party released an official statement on the incident.
STRONG CRITICISM:：The DPP said that the president had made a long-overdue comment on China, although he needed to do more in response to Beijing’s actions
By Alison Hsiao and Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Thu, Jun 05, 2014 - Page 3
Beijing displaying a tolerant attitude toward political dissidents is a better way to bridge the psychological divide between the nations on either side of the Taiwan Strait than China’s “yielding benefits” on the economic front, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday.
Ma made the remark in a written statement issued to reflect on the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre yesterday. He has issued a statement on each of the massacre’s anniversaries since he came into office.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Ministry of the Interior has refused to approve the application of a civic association because the association did not include either “the Republic of China (ROC)” or “Taiwan” in its name, founders of the group said yesterday, adding that they would like the ministry to reject the application.
In its replies to applications submitted by the Taiwan Citizen Union (TCU) on March 31 and April 14, the ministry twice demanded that the organization to revise its name by adding “society” (社, 學會) or “association” (會, 協會, 協進會) as well as either “ROC” or “Taiwan,” TCU cofounder Lin Feng-cheng (林峰正) said on the union’s Facebook page.
JULY FORUM:The party received its invitation last week and the decision on whether to attend is to be made by the DPP’s Central Standing Committee today
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) might decline an invitation to attend a national affairs conference on economics and trade because the conference is unlikely to address the public’s needs or solve the nation’s woes, the party said yesterday.
“The conference is expected to focus only on the cross-strait economic agenda rather than a policy with a global perspective. Neither will it address the public’s call for constitutional reform. So far, we are learning toward not attending [the conference],” DPP spokesperson Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) told a press conference in Taipei yesterday.
‘HE IS A LIAR’:Activists said although Chinese democracy is crucial for Taiwan’s future, Ma has toned down any criticism when marking the Tiananmen Square Massacre anniversary
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Advocates yesterday called on Taiwanese, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in particular, to show strong support for China’s democratization on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, saying that China’s democratic movement will be crucial to Taiwan’s future.
“No democratic country in the world would stand on the sidelines as its neighbors abuse human rights. In the case of Taiwan, China’s democratization matters for Taiwan’s future,” Association of Taiwan Students’ Promotion of Chinese Democratization director Henry Kwok (郭豫謙) told a press conference in Taipei.
Tue, Jun 03, 2014 - Page 8
The seven senior politicians and academics who make up a self-proclaimed bi-partisan group recently introduced the “broad one China framework,” a one-night sensation that drew attention, but was soon forgotten.
Led by former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-te (施明德), the group included former DPP minister Chen Ming-tung (陳明通), and former National Security Council secretary-general Su Chi (蘇起) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Tamkang University professor Andy Chang (張五岳), former DPP legislator Hong Chi-chang (洪奇昌) and a pair of former KMT administration officials, Cheng Chien-jen (程建人) and Chiao Jen-ho (焦仁和), were also in the group.
THE DOCTOR IS IN:While his rival for the DPP’s Taipei mayoral candidacy faltered, physician-turned-politician Ko Wen-je exceeded expectations in their first showdown
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Independent aspirant Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday held his own against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) in the first of three scheduled debates of the DPP’s second-stage primary for the Taipei mayoral campaign, erasing views that the physician-turned-politician would perform poorly.
The National Taiwan University Hospital physician handled the 60-minute televised debate with poise, laying out six visions for the nation’s capital and declaring that he would be a honest, passionate and responsible mayor if elected in November.
Staff writer, with CNA
Mon, Jun 02, 2014 - Page 3
Senior Taoyuan County officials who have been implicated in five corruption and bribery cases over the past three years might deal a severe blow to Taoyuan County Commissioner John Wu’s (吳志揚) re-election bid in November, political observers said.
The county is set to be upgraded to a special municipality in December.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) needs to clarify to Taiwanese about his intentions and the agenda behind the proposed meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) at the APEC leaders’ meeting in Beijing in November, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
“The meeting could be discussed, but the president must explain to Taiwanese the objective for the meeting. Does it serve Taiwanese’s interests or his own?” Tsai said to media on the sidelines of an event in Greater Kaohsiung.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The collected works of more than 100 poets from Taiwan, China and Hong Kong have been published ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre.
The authors have condemned China’s attempt to erase the brutal event from people’s memories, saying that they intend to use poetry to forever etch the event in history.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday introduced its new officials appointed by DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), including a pair of female directors said to excel at social advocacy, but who have no experience in politics.
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Liao Chin-kuei (廖錦桂) and Department of Women’s Development director Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) were introduced by DPP Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) at a press conference after the first meeting of party officials under Tsai, who succeeded Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) as party chairperson on Wednesday.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The majority of respondents in a survey on cross-strait affairs view the relationship as “state-to-state” and do not support unification in the future, a poll released by Taiwan Indicators Survey Research (TISR) yesterday showed.
Asked whether the relationship between Taiwan and China is “state-to-state,” 59.7 percent gave a positive response, up from 56.2 percent in a similar survey conducted by TISR in April last year, with 25 percent saying “no” and 15.3 percent declining to answer.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has been urged to take “substantial action” to help imprisoned former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) leave prison and be put under house arrest due to his deteriorating health.
“Suffering from at least four major syndromes, Chen’s health condition is now in an alarming state, which is why Taichung Veterans General Hospital recommended he be put under home care,” Taipei Veterans General Hospital physician Kuo Cheng-deng (郭正典) said.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Thu, May 29, 2014 - Page 3
Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday officially assumed the chair of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), vowing to succeed in November’s seven-in-one elections and change the party by promoting an internal “generational shift” and “reconnecting” it with society.
“It is time for action — it is time to roll up the sleeves and go to work. We won’t be able to change the country unless we make changes to our party first,” Tsai said at the handover ceremony in Taipei at which she took the helm of the party from her predecessor, Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
Tue, May 27, 2014 - Page 8
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai ing-wen (蔡英文) was again elected as chairperson on Sunday in a prelude to a two-year period that could determine the future for Tsai, the DPP and the country.
As Tsai prepares to take the helm tomorrow following her two previous terms between 2008 and 2012, supporters and observers will watch closely what she does, hoping that this time the 57-year-old can not only revive the DPP, but also win the presidency in 2016.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The more than 3,000 Taiwanese who died in the Allied forces’ raid on Taipei at the end of the World War II are to be commemorated on Saturday in front of the Presidential Office Building by a new pro-independence group.
Established in February, Jiawu Regime Change (甲午變天) group lists its position as “anti-China and anti-President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)” and its mission as advocating a new constitution, a new country and Taiwan’s bid for a UN seat.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday that its three lawmakers are to vote against the two nominees who did not oppose the use of Chinese-made telecom equipment in the nation’s new fourth-generation (4G) communication network.
The TSU caucus says it will not endorse Tu Jenn-hwa (杜震華) and Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) for nominees in National Communications Commission (NCC) review today in the legislature.
The two refused to pledge their opposition to telecom equ
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Taipei mayoral hopefuls Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) and independent Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are to participate in three debates to help determine the final pan-green candidate on June 12.
DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) — convener of a task force responsible for the selection of the final pan-green camp candidate — yesterday said that after a two-hour negotiation, both camps agreed to hold the events in the eight days starting on Saturday.
‘DISCONNECT’:：Tsai said that ensuring the legislature better reflects public opinion was more important than changing the presidential system, but some disagreed
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Tue, May 27, 2014 - Page 1
The moment for constitutional refrom in Taiwan has arrived, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday as she called for reform of the Legislative Yuan structure before changing the constitutional system, with better representation across the country that would benefit smaller political parties.
Tsai, who was elected DPP chairperson on Sunday, made public her views on constitutional reform in an articles published yesterday by the Chinese-language Apple Daily — the first time she has made clear her position on the issue.
TROJAN POLICY:The party said Ma’s push to set up free economic zones and pass the service trade pact was an attempt to bring as many Chinese to Taiwan as possible
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The recent defection of a scientist to China and the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) bid to push through legislation on the free economic pilot zones reflect both the failure of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) pro-China policy and his attempt to neutralize a strengthening Taiwanese national identity, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday.
“Ma has realized that the rise of a Taiwanese identity would be the biggest roadblock on the path to eventual unification with China, which is why he wants to bring as many Chinese into the country as possible through the establishment of zones and passage of the cross-strait service trade agreement,” TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) told supporters in Greater Taichung.
LANDSLIDE:Her only opponent, former Kaohsiung county deputy commissioner Kuo Tai-lin, offered his concession to the party before results were released
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) won election as chairperson again yesterday by a landslide, taking a symbolic step forward in her quest to run for president in 2016.
Tsai defeated former Kaohsiung county deputy commissioner Kuo Tai-lin (郭泰麟) by 85,410 (93.71 percent) votes to 5,734 (6.29 percent), DPP spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said at a press conference yesterday evening, hours after the poll closed.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
A trio of senior Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians yesterday launched an appeal for former DPP secretary-general Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁), who was scheduled to begin his nine-month prison term on Monday in a breach of trust case, calling the verdict an “apparent mistrial.”
Wu was accused of giving in, as Taiwan Sugar Corp (Taisugar) chairman in 2003, to former DPP legislator Hong Chi-chang’s (洪奇昌) lobbying for Chun Lung Co, a property developer, to ensure that it won the right to purchase a plot of land in Greater Taichung’s Wufeng District (霧峰) that it was renting from Taisugar.
‘OUR APPEAL’:：The cross-party group said the name of their initiative would not include ‘one China’ or ‘one country,’ and that it is similar in concept to ‘nations of brotherhood’
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Sat, May 24, 2014 - Page 3
A group of politicians and academics are scheduled to unveil their proposition for a new framework for cross-strait relations on Tuesday, and yesterday denied that the official name of the initiative would contain sensitive terms such as “one China” or “one country.”
The seven-member group across party lines included former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-te (施明德), former Mainland Affairs Council minister Chen Ming-tung (陳明通) under the former DPP administration and former National Security Council secretary-general Su Chi (蘇起), who served under President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration, according to a report published yesterday by Storm Media, an online news Web site.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) has unfairly punished Chung Cheng Elementary School in Greater Kaohsiung over a scandal about “ineligible” transfer students playing, a lawmaker representing the city said yesterday.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) told a press conference that Chung Cheng’s use of a transfer student surnamed Wen (溫) in official competitions was a different case than other schools because Chung Cheng did not recruit Wen for his athletic ability.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) “does not look like he is ready and willing” to run for re-election, former premier Yu Shyi-kun, the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate in the New Taipei City mayoral election, said yesterday on the sidelines of the DPP’s weekly Central Standing Committee meeting.
“Judging from what I’ve seen and heard on the campaign trail, I would say that the chances of Chu declaring a re-election bid are getting slimmer and slimmer,” Yu said.
REBALANCING:The DPP head said it is time to revisit the questions of a presidential or parliamentary system of government as well as boosting the number of lawmakers
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said he supported a constitutional amendment that does not touch upon the nation’s status and a switch from the current semi-presidential system to a parliamentary one.
Constitutional reform has been a long-term goal of the DPP and the issue has resurfaced after recent anti-government protests.
Tue, May 20, 2014 - Page 8
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been at the center of attention and criticism for the creation of 20,000 stickers with the slogan: “I am Taiwanese. I am from Taiwan” in Vietnamese and English, which it sent to Vietnam, hoping it would help anti-China protesters distinguish Taiwanese from Chinese.
The property of hundreds of Taiwanese businesses and the lives of thousands of Taiwanese were at risk after the protests broke out in southern Vietnam last week which later devolved into riots against foreign companies and factories, in particular those from Taiwan because, according to the ministry, Vietnamese had trouble differentiating Taiwanese from Chinese.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Friday outlined seven key areas that the party is proposing for constitutional reform.
The DPP also said that the replacement of the nation’s current semi-presidential system with a parliamentary system merited debate, because more Taiwanese support the model, the party said, but it cautioned that this would be a complicated and ambitious initiative.
NOT GIVING UP:The Democratic Progressive Party Central Executive Committee member says that he will not go to prison because of the vice president
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Central Executive Committee member Hung Chi-kune (洪智坤) yesterday said that he would not stop his struggle against Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) even after being sentenced to three months in prison in a defamation lawsuit related to a bribery scandal in 2012.
The Taiwan High Court Kaohsiung Branch yesterday sentenced Hung to three months in prison, which could be commuted to a fine of NT$90,000, over Hung’s defamation of former China Steel Corp (CSC, 中鋼) chairman Tsou Juo-chi (鄒若齊) in his comments about the bribery scandal which involved Wu and former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世).
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) defended the possible scenario of her dual role as the party’s presidential candidate and chairman yesterday, saying that “extraordinary measures are necessary in an extraordinary time.”
“Every DPP chairperson has played a different role. For now, a strong and powerful opposition party is needed to steer the country back on the right track. I would say that a tough, determined and powerful leader of the DPP is necessary as well,” Tsai said in a televised debate organized for the DPP chairman election.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Sunflower movement leaders Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) and Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷) yesterday announced the establishment of a new social activist group, Taiwan March (島國前進), saying the group would focus on the “unfinished business” of the three-week-long movement’s goal of promoting “direct democracy.”
“It seemed to us that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] have not learned a thing [from the Sunflower movement] and they still refuse to listen to the public,” Chen told a press conference.
SIMILAR STANCES:The aspirant for the Taipei mayoral election said that he shared a similar set of policies with the DPP candidate, including his position on nuclear power
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), an independent aspirant for the Taipei mayoral election, yesterday said that it would be “win or go home” for him in a primary between Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) contender Pasuya Yao (姚文智) and independents, saying that if he lost in the poll he would withdraw from the race.
Ko made the comment after Yao on Wednesday won the DPP poll, the first part of a two-stage mechanism that the DPP adopted to finalize a pan-green candidate among non-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) contenders, setting the stage for the second-phase primary.
DAMAGE CONTROL:：The government aims to use bilateral pacts to find a legal basis to seek indemnity for damages to Taiwanese citizens or property in the Vietnam riots
By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Chris Wang / Staff reporters, with CNA
Fri, May 16, 2014 - Page 1
Taiwan is looking to cooperate with other countries affected by the recent anti-China protests in Vietnam to solicit compensation for the damage caused to foreign factories during the unrest sparked by Hanoi’s territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said yesterday.
Lin told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee that the ministry is studying two agreements signed between Taiwan and Vietnam on judicial assistance and investment protection to find a legal basis for compensation claims.
TAXING PROBLEM:：DPP officials said that although the letter did show that Ma lost his resident status, it proved that he lied about an issue that has plagued him for years
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff reporter
Fri, May 16, 2014 - Page 1
The Presidential Office yesterday displayed a letter from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) that it said proved President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) voided his status as a permanent US resident by renouncing his “green card,” but critics pointed out that the statement was inconsistent with Ma’s previous claims that since his green card had “expired, it was invalidated automatically.”
Presidential Office spokesperson Lee Chia-fei (李佳霏) called a news conference yesterday to show the letter from Joseph Donovan, managing director of the AIT’s Washington office, addressed to Taiwanese Representative to the US Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) and dated May 14.
RIOT ACT:The foreign ministry urged Hanoi to protect Taiwanese there after protests over China’s territorial spat with Vietnam devolved into a rampage on foreign factories
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The government yesterday condemned the violent anti-China protests in Vietnam over Hanoi’s ongoing territorial dispute with Beijing, demanding that the Vietnamese government get the situation under control after the factories and offices of Taiwanese businesses in the country’s southeast were damaged during what it called “acts of rioting” by the protesters.
Speaking at a hastily convened press conference yesterday morning, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) was still trying to gather information on the factories damaged in the unrest in Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces that ensued after an anti-Chinese protest devolved into a violent attack against foreign businesses on Tuesday afternoon.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The opposition yesterday blasted President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) reported holding of US permanent residence status, saying that Ma has been lying about the issue and should step down over what it described as his lack of integrity.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) both said Ma has lost his legitimacy to govern after being found to be evading taxes as a holder of US permanent residence status, which was reported by the Chinese-language Next Magazine yesterday.
ONE FOR THE ‘UNDERDOG’:Yao will face Ko Wen-je, and maybe Neil Peng in the second round, and said that the election would pit the privileged against ordinary citizens
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) has won the party’s first-stage primary for the Taipei mayoral election and will enter the second stage, in which he and independent hopefuls will compete for the final candidacy of the pan-green camp, the DPP said yesterday.
DPP Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) at a press conference yesterday morning announced Yao’s victory in a public opinion poll conducted by three institutions on Tuesday night, but did not release the poll results, citing a pre-survey agreement among the three contenders.
TENSE SITUATION:The KMT legislator chairing a meeting on a probe into the trade pact abruptly called the meeting to a halt, which the DDP labeled as ‘rude’
By Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chang Ching-chung (張慶忠) yesterday triggered fresh controversy by passing a KMT proposal at a legislative committee meeting he was chairing to probe the signing of the cross-strait service trade agreement and abruptly calling the session to an end while Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) was still speaking at the podium.
Amid the ongoing disputes over the trade pact and the government’s handling of it, a commission was created under the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee to investigate the criticisms and concerns voiced about the cross-strait negotiations that led to the deal’s signing.
‘MA’S INBREEDING’The new Presidential Office spokesman’s wife was reportedly hired for Ma’s office before the post was publicly advertised
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
A media report that the Executive Yuan is about to hire the wife of new presidential spokesperson Yin Wei (殷瑋) drew criticism yesterday.
The report comes amid a series of government hirings, which the opposition describes as “political rewards” for people in President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) “inner circle.”
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei mayoral hopeful yesterday called a press conference to defend his “Central Park” proposal in what appeared to be a last dash to the primary’s finishing line tonight.
A public opinion survey is to be conducted tonight to conclude the DPP’s primary.
DPP Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) had proposed turning Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) into a 400-hectare grand park area to serve as the “green lungs” of the city.
PUSHING BOUNDARIES:：Civic groups said the KMT amendment to tighten petitioner requirements was against the Constitutional right to election and recall
By Loa Iok-sin and Chris Wang / Staff reporters
Tue, May 13, 2014 - Page 3
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposal to tighten rules for recalling legislators may face strong resistance from the public, civic groups said yesterday.
“On March 18, hundreds of people broke into the Legislative Yuan complex and took control of the legislative floor for nearly a month because we believed that our representative democracy is not working properly,” said Chen Wei-chen (陳韋辰), a member of the Black Island Nation Youth Front (黑色島國青年聯盟), one of the central groups that took part in the Sunflower movement.
Tue, May 13, 2014 - Page 8
Perhaps no one grabbed attention last week than Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀), whose alleged inappropriate behavior at the funeral of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) mother has been all over the print media and 24-hour television news channels.
The inexperienced first-term lawmaker from Yilan County, allegedly attended Chin Hou-hsiu’s (秦厚修) funeral on May 5 uninvited and instructed Presidential Office officials to “make better arrangements” to accommodate those who wanted to pay tribute to the deceased.
PAN-GREEN INTEGRATION:Independent Ko Wen-je said he would seek consensus among social groups, while Pasuya Yao and Wellington Koo said they were favorites
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Aspirants in the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) primary for the Taipei mayoral election campaigned hard over the Mother’s Day weekend ahead of tomorrow’s primary poll and played down the significance of former vice president Annette Lu’s (呂秀蓮) decision to withdraw from the race, as well as her criticism of the primary mechanism that she said has destroyed the DPP’s “integrity and discipline.”
Lu announced her withdrawal on Saturday, leaving tomorrow’s poll a three-way race between lawyer Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and two DPP legislators, Pasuya Yao (姚文智) and Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財).
WORRIED ABOUT WATCHDOG:Pundit Clara Chou made strong comments in a Web column, while the DPP said the nominations were ‘horrible’ and seemed to be rewards
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) nomination of Control Yuan members on Thursday drew more negative reaction from the opposition and other critics yesterday, with one pundit saying that Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) had been involved in the “politically motivated” nomination process.
Wang Mei-yu (王美玉), former president of the Chinese-language China Times, made the list of 29 nominees because of Wu, who could have a personal reason for his endorsement, radio host Clara Chou (周玉蔻) wrote in her column published yesterday on my-formosa.com, an online news Web site.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday penalized Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) over his behavior at the funeral of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) mother by suspending his right to participate in caucus activities for six months.
Chen will not be able to take part in any caucus activities, including being elected as a caucus official or as a convener for any legislative committee.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday expressed concern over Beijing’s detention and conviction of several dissidents before the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
“Liberty, democracy and human rights are universal values that know no borders... The people of Taiwan will be watching [Beijing],” Honigmann Hong (洪財隆), director of the DPP’s Department of China Affairs, said in a press release.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
A public opinion poll on four Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) contenders in the Taipei mayoral election is to be held on Tuesday as the first stage of the party’s primary, before the winner moves on to the second stage to compete with independent aspirants for the final nomination, the DPP said yesterday.
The results of the survey are expected to be announced on Wednesday, to determine the winner among former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), lawyer Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and a pair of lawmakers — Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) and Pasuya Yao (姚文智) — party spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said after a meeting between the four campaigns yesterday.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) yesterday apologized to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his family for showing up at the funeral of Ma’s mother, Chin Hou-hsiu (秦厚修), on Monday.
“If my appearance at the funeral caused displeasure to and was a disturbance for the Ma family, I would like to offer my sincere apologies to them and accept the public’s criticism of my behavior,” Chen said at the Legislative Yuan.
EXCESSIVE FORCE:Media representatives said Taipei police are ignoring the Constitution by impeding the media’s right to report during anti-government protests
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Representatives from media worker groups and academics yesterday accused the Taipei City Police Department of using excessive force against reporters in recent protests and trying to evade public scrutiny of what they described as police’s infringement of freedom of the press.
The violent eviction of reporters on March 24, when thousands of protesters occupied the Executive Yuan compound, and on April 28, during an overnight antinuclear sit-in on Zhongxiao W Road, violated the media’s right to report, the representatives told a press conference.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) nominations for Control Yuan president and Examination Yuan president were “political rewards” and solid evidence that the two government branches have become the most valueless organs in the nation’s constitutional system, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
Ma has nominated Central Election Commission Chairperson Chang Po-ya (張博雅) as president of the Control Yuan, while Examination Yuan Vice President Wu Jin-lin (伍錦霖) was nominated as its president.
THOUGHT-PROVOKING:With foreign correspondents exiting the country, Tsai Ing-wen has created an English Web site to write about the Taiwan issues that matter
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday announced the official launch of an English-language opinion and analysis Web site about Taiwan with the aim of sharing perspectives on a wide range of issues.
The Web site, Thinking Taiwan, intends to show diverse perspectives on various issues — beyond political and economic issues that usually dominate international headlines about Taiwan — to an international audience, Tsai said during the site’s launch ceremony.
‘ADULTERATED’ HISTORY:：The textbook, published by a pro-unification advocate, says independence movements risk plunging the country into ‘a deranged state’
By Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter
Wed, May 07, 2014 - Page 1
A history textbook to be used in senior-high schools next semester has sparked controversy among teachers and the public, who say its content constitutes “brainwashing,” as it is written with a “China-oriented perspective of history.”
Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧) responded that each textbook’s “expression” should be respected.
Tue, May 06, 2014 - Page 8
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the New Party held separate rallies on Sunday with similar themes, the former calling for social stability and support for the police and the latter championing the rule of law.
Organizers and participants argued that the protests of the past months, including the Sunflower movement, the various “occupation” and “passing-by” campaigns targeting different government agencies and the Legislative Yuan siege, were illegal and lacked respect for the rule of law.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday condemned what it called DPP Legislator Chen Ou-po’s (陳歐珀) “inappropriate behavior” at the funeral of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) mother, Chin hou-hsiu (秦厚修), saying that Chen would be referred to the DPP legislative caucus for discipline.
The DPP issued a statement after Chen went to the funeral early yesterday morning uninvited and expressed displeasure at what he said was an inadequate reception at the funeral home, which media described as a “disturbance.”
FLOWERING YOUTH:：Tsai said the next generation had shown it had come of age and was ready to lead, and had shown China it could not rely on the CCP-KMT platform alone
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Tue, May 06, 2014 - Page 3
The three-week-long Sunflower movement has changed both the way the Taiwanese look at domestic politics and China’s approach if it wants to engage the people of this nation in the future, former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told an interviewer yesterday.
“[The Sunflower movement] was the first time that a social movement with such a scale of mass participation was able to generate so much energy without serious physical confrontations and violence — except for the government’s bloody crackdown against the protesters at the Executive Yuan,” Tsai said in an interview with TV host Cheng Hung-yi (鄭鴻儀), which aired last night.
WARNING:Ko Wen-je, who is on Chen Shui-bian’s medical team, said the ex-president’s poor health may only improve if he is taken from jail and put under house arrest instead
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
National Taiwan University Hospital physician Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), a member of former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) private medical team, on Saturday called on the government to “let Chen go home,” saying that the incarcerated Chen’s condition is deteriorating.
Ko, who plans to run as an independent in the upcoming Taipei mayoral election, issued the call at an event organized by the Ketagalan Foundation, which was founded by Chen.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has a comfortable lead over Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in the race for the municipality’s mayorship, a public opinion poll released yesterday showed.
The survey was conducted by the Chinese-language Apple Daily and found that Lin had a support rate of 51.4 percent, while Hu, who is seeking re-election in November, had 33.9 percent and 14.7 percent of the respondents were undecided.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former government information office minister Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) is set to be nominated as the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate for the Taoyuan County commissioner election in November after winning the party’s primary, the DPP said yesterday.
Cheng, 47, defeated former DPP legislators Cheng Pao-ching (鄭寶清) and Peng Shao-chin (彭紹瑾) in a public opinion poll conducted by the party headquarters on Wednesday by a significant margin, DPP Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) told a press conference.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
A mother and son yesterday filed a lawsuit against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) in Taipei for destruction of property while two lawyers accused him of attempted murder — all stemming from an car accident triggered by a protest outside the Legislative Yuan.
Lin Shu-yen (林淑燕) and her son, Chu Yu-hsuan (朱育玄), filed a lawsuit at Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, accusing Tsai of ramming his car into Lin’s vehicle on Friday last week and fleeing the scene.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Taipei police yesterday questioned a man for allegedly organizing an online campaign for an “Occupy the Taipei MRT” protest, amid criticism that the government is resorting to clamping down on “thought crime” to curb freedom of expression.
Police located the man, surnamed Chou, a resident of Chiayi County’s Fanlu Township (番路), through the Internet protocol address he used to post a message about the campaign. They said the campaign is against the law.
‘UNPRECEDENTED STRUGGLE’:：The antinuclear activist thanked all those who backed his fast and opposed a controversial power plant, but said more fights are ahead
By Chris Wang and Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
Thu, May 01, 2014 - Page 1
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) yesterday afternoon announced the end of his hunger strike against the continued construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and said he was grateful for the “phenomenal antinuclear effort” of Taiwanese over the past two weeks.
Lin said he would continue to fight what he called the injustice of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration.
By Chris Wang and Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporters
Thu, May 01, 2014 - Page 1
The Taipei City Police Department and Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC, 台北捷運公司) yesterday warned antinuclear protesters against an “Occupy the Mass Rapid Transit” (MRT) campaign announced on the Internet, saying such a protest would violate the Criminal Code and participants could face up to five years in prison.
The campaign details, which were posted online yesterday, called for 33,000 people boarding MRT trains on the Tamsui Line at the same time to protest against what organizers said was the government’s failure to respond to the public’s demand that the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) be halted.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
After a fiercely competitive primary, Hsieh Wei-chou (謝維洲), son of former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), yesterday won the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) nomination for the Taipei City Council election in November.
The 31-year-old, who has never run in an election, finished third among six nominees in Taipei’s electoral districts of Shilin (士林) and Beitou (北投), where 10 aspirants ran in the primary.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) remained hospitalized at National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital yesterday as the nation awaited his next move after he went on a seven-day hunger strike from Tuesday last week until Monday.
“Lin is in stable condition, physically and mentally, and he called for all participants in the [antinuclear] protests to adhere to the principle of nonviolence,” Lin’s support group posted on his Web site last night.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and a group of lawmakers yesterday demanded a speedy constitutional interpretation of the nuclear dispute, amid lingering controversy over the the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).
Four months have passed since Hsieh and 40 DPP lawmakers demanded an interpretation from the Justices of the Constitutional Court on Dec. 29 last year, Hsieh told a press conference.
POLL PRESSURE:：The Taiwan Thinktank said judging by the results of a recent poll, the mainstream public opinion on amending the Referendum Act has been made clear
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Wed, Apr 30, 2014 - Page 3
The majority of respondents in a public opinion poll released yesterday supported eliminating the threshold stipulated in the Referendum Act (公民投票法), as well as a simple format for referendum questions to avoid hidden political agendas.
The Taiwan Thinktank found that 64.8 percent of the respondents agreed that the current high threshold — which requires the participation of 50 percent of eligible voters and with at least half of them casting a “yes” vote for the referendum to pass — should be eliminated, with only 22.4 percent not agreeing and 12.8 percent declining to answer, the think tank’s deputy executive director, Lai I-chung (賴怡忠), told a news conference.
Tue, Apr 29, 2014 - Page 8
For the second time in as many months, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration used water cannons to evict protesters and “restore social order,” as police removed thousands of anti-nuclear demonstrators from Zhongxiao W Road in Taipei yesterday morning.
The protesters were calling not only for the halt of construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) — supported by more than 70 percent of the public according to most opinion polls — but for nuclear energy to be phased out completely.
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Tue, Apr 29, 2014 - Page 3
The majority of respondents in two public opinion surveys released yesterday support suspending or terminating the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) and do not believe that the government is capable of handling a nuclear disaster.
In a poll conducted by Commonwealth magazine, 58.7 percent of respondents said they back scrapping the power plant entirely, while 27.2 percent were in favor of suspending the project and 14.1 percent did not provide an answer.
‘LIVE ON’:：Lin was taken to hospital after visiting his family’s cemetery. It was not clear whether he would continue after vows to suspend the plant’s construction
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Tue, Apr 29, 2014 - Page 1
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) yesterday was hospitalized on the seventh day of his hunger strike against the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and whether he could continue his protest remained unknown.
Lin was taken to National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital emergency center at about 3:40pm for an examination after briefly leaving the site of his hunger strike in Taipei and paying tribute to his deceased family members in a cemetery in his hometown in Yilan County earlier in the day.