EDITORIAL: Beware trying to win over Beijing

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming’s (柯建銘) recent proposal to freeze the Taiwan independence clause in the party charter has raised eyebrows on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, with Beijing praising him as a man of vision and DPP members sharply divided over the pros and cons.

The initiative was not unprecedented, but the proposal itself and the controversy surrounding it seem to have immediately reflected two things:

First, DPP members feel a strong urgency to facilitate dialogue between the DPP and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), fearing that an inability to do so will be the party’s Achilles heel in the next presidential election and a deciding factor in its perennial inferiority to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) on cross-strait relations.

DPP lawmaker pushes coalition opposition plan

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) yesterday outlined a plan for an opposition coalition to settle on a Taipei mayoral candidate, adding that he did not rule out entering the race himself if the process was agreed upon.

“Our priority [in the Taipei mayoral election] should be bringing an end to the Chinese Nationalist Party’s [KMT] grip on the capital, rather than narrowly aiming for a DPP victory,” Yao said.

Independence beats ‘status quo’ in poll

TIME FOR CHANGE?A DPP official said it was surprising that keeping the ‘status quo’ had low support from respondents in a party survey, as this contradicts previous polls
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The majority of Taiwanese favor independence over unification and identify strongly with the name “Republic of China (ROC),” as well as with the national flag, but are less receptive to the national anthem, a recent public opinion poll conducted by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) showed.

Online news site Newtalk obtained and published the results of the survey — which were not released to the public — on Sunday.

DPP still split over Ker’s independence clause plan

HOT TOPIC:：DPP whip Ker’s suggestion that the party suspend its independence clause has sparked furious debate as the DPP struggles to form a consensus on its China policy
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Dec 30, 2013 - Page 1

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming’s (柯建銘) proposal to facilitate cross-strait dialogue by freezing the party’s so-called “Taiwan independence clause” was again the subject of debate among academics and party members yesterday, with former DPP lawmaker Julian Kuo (郭正亮) and National Chengchi University professor Tung Cheng-yuan (童振源) supporting the initiative.

Most DPP members, including Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), oppose the proposal, which was submitted by Ker at a meeting to discuss the party’s China policy on Thursday, saying that it betrays the party’s founding spirit.

Rivals pan Taipei mayor hopeful

POPULAR CHOICE:Physician Ko Wen-je, whose competence to lead the city has been questioned by other possible candidates, is doing well in public-opinion polls
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Independent Taipei mayor hopeful Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has come under fire from rivals questioning his credentials and inexperience.

“I don’t think blackening my name would help their support rates,” said the National Taiwan University Hospital physician, who is trailing only former Taipei EasyCard Corp president Sean Lien (連勝文) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in public opinion polls conducted on the capital’s mayoral election.

DPP voices opposition to stadium conversion plan

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chi Cheng (紀政) yesterday voiced their opposition to a Taipei City Government plan to turn a soccer stadium into a backpackers hostel.

The city government plans to renovate the Zhongshan Soccer Stadium and turn the multi-purpose facility, with a capacity of 20,000 for soccer games and up to 40,000 for concerts, into an international cultural exchange center for young people.

DPP to use poll as Greater Taichung party primary

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) opinion poll in Greater Taichung on Monday is to determine the party’s candidate for arguably one of the most important constituencies in the mayoral and commissioner elections scheduled for December next year.

The poll will serve as the party primary to determine whether incumbent DPP Legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) or DPP Legislator Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) will be the party’s candidate, with poll results to be announced on Tuesday.

DPP, China at odds on whip’s proposal

‘MAN OF VISION’:Beijing said Ker Chien-ming’s proposal to suspend the party’s so-called ‘independence clause’ was a positive sign, while the DPP said it was a non-issue
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming’s (柯建銘) proposal to suspend the party’s so-called “Taiwan independence clause” to boost its chances of returning to power was deemed unnecessary by his own party yesterday, but it earned rare acclaim from China.

Beijing, which rarely agrees with the DPP, praised Ker’s proposal yesterday, with Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Fan Liqing (范麗青) describing the caucus whip as “a man of vision” and his initiative as “a positive sign, as well as an important step in the right direction if the initiative is approved by the party.”

Ker tells DPP to freeze its charter on independence

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) yesterday proposed freezing the party’s so-called “Taiwan independence charter” to boost its chance of returning to power.

Ker, who convened the last of a series of meetings on the party’s China policy yesterday, proposed the idea unexpectedly in an article titled: DPP China policy with a new global perspective, but stressed that the views expressed in the paper were his own.

Kuo corruption case shows judiciary ‘barbaric’: experts

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former minister of transportation and communications Kuo Yao-chi’s (郭瑤琪) conviction on corruption charges epitomized the judicial system’s “decadent, primitive and barbaric” nature, academics told a symposium in Taipei yesterday.

Kuo’s conviction on Dec. 5 was a perfect example of how helpless Taiwanese are before the law and illustrated how every encounter citizens have with the judiciary is similar to a game of Russian roulette because their fate is determined by pure luck, the academics said at the forum on Taiwan’s judiciary, which was organized by the Taiwan Association of University Professors.

Ma fails another performance review: TISR

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his administration received another dismal report card on his performance as head of state this year, earning 44.3 points out of a possible 100 in a Taiwan Indicator Survey Research (TISR) poll that was released yesterday.

The results marked the second public opinion poll in two weeks in which the president has failed to come close to making the passing grade of 60, having been awarded just 39.2 points in a survey conducted by the Democratic Progressive Party and released on Dec. 18.

DPP slams Ma for pro-China interview

‘STRANGE’:The DPP’s chairman said it was odd that the president was talking about Chinese interests throughout the interview, during which he said he wanted to meet Xi
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday criticized comments President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) made in an interview which touched on the possibility of meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next year and saying that the cross-strait service trade agreement cannot be renegotiated, as some have requested.

The Hong Kong-based Chinese-language Yazhou Zhoukan quoted Ma as saying he would love to meet Xi at the APEC summit in Beijing next year and make a “historical breakthrough in cross-strait relations,” while rejecting that the service trade pact can be altered because “Taiwan is not like the US” in that it cannot unilaterally demand that an agreement be changed by using its economic strength.

DPP releases report on public’s top complaints

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) released a report examining complaints from the public and named the seven-in-one elections as its priority for next year.

DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said his party’s No. 1 goal next year is to win the seven-in-one local elections and said President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration has no one to blame but itself for the public discontent that has almost reached a boiling point.

Ko pledges candidacy decision by March

NO HURRY:The independent said a media report was incorrect in its claim that he would join the DPP before the end of this year and said there was no need to rush
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

National Taiwan University physician Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday that he would make a final decision on whether to join the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) by March.

Ko, an independent who has a better support rating than the four DPP aspirants in the Taipei mayoral election, refuted a media report that he would join the DPP by the end of the year, saying that the decision would come likely sometime in March.

Court probes, detains two former DORTS officials

TIP OF ICEBERG?DPP legislators yesterday panned the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou for alleged links to possible corruption at the MeHAS City project
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Taipei District Court yesterday granted a request by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office to detain two former Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) officials for their roles in a possible corruption case related to the “Mass Rapid Transportation (MRT) Xiaobitan Station Joint Development” project.

Following a hearing of three hours, the court decided to detain former director of the DORTS’ development branch, Kao Chia-nung (高嘉濃), and former DORTS section chief Wang Ming-tsang (王銘藏) to prevent collusion on testimony.

PTS exploiting workers: lawmaker

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲) yesterday accused the Public Television Service (PTS) of exploiting contract workers and trying to shun its responsibility as an employer.

Accompanied by Huang, a former PTS contract worker surnamed Lin (林) told a press conference that he had only seen his contract twice — on the day it was signed and after he left PTS — and was also told that he would not be covered by the labor insurance and the National Health Insurance programs.

Chu leading in mayoral election: poll

AGENDA?A spokesperson for Yu Shyi-kun, the DPP’s candidate in the New Taipei City race, said the poll seems to have been conducted to influence the KMT primary
By Mo Yan-chih  /  Staff reporter

A survey of potential candidates in the race for New Taipei City (新北市) mayor next year showed incumbent Eric Chu (朱立倫) would enjoy a support rating of 58 percent if he seeks re-election, while his rival from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), former DPP premier Yu Shyi-kun (游錫?), had 19 percent.

The poll, released by the Chinese-language United Daily News (UDN) yesterday, also showed that New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) would have a 44 percent support rating if he were to represent the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in the election, while support for Yu would be 29 percent.

Majority supports renegotiation of trade pact: DPP

TRANSPARENCY ISSUE:Respondents were unsure about China’s intention to uphold the requirements of the trade agreement, the DPP survey showed
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The majority of respondents in a opinion poll support the renegotiation of the cross-strait service trade agreement and view the handling of the pact by President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration as “undemocratic,” the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.

“The survey results showed that transparency has been the most serious concern to arise from cross-strait engagement. If this administration does not change the opaque way in which it handles cross-strait affairs and continues to view cross-strait interactions as party-to-party relations, public discontent will continue,” DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) told a news conference.

DPP threatens war over KMT agenda move

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The pan-green camp yesterday criticized Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chang Ching-chung (張慶忠) for his insistence on placing the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement on the legislative agenda on Thursday, saying that Chang’s plan would be a violation of party negotiations.

Despite negotiations convened by Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) last week that reached a consensus that the screening of the pact would not take place before the final public hearings are held on March 10, Chang, joint convener of the Internal Administration Committee, expressed his intention to deal with the agreement this week.

UDN opinion poll biased: Annette Lu

NOT RELIABLE:The former vice president said voters have a good understanding of the political implication of opinion polls and enjoy ‘playing with the pollsters’
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A public opinion poll that suggests independent aspirant Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) would be the strongest candidate for the pan-green camp in the Taipei mayoral election next year appears to be biased and have a political agenda behind it, said former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), one of the aspirants in the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Taipei primary.

“Media and politicians have been overly obsessed with public opinion polls in recent years. Surveys have been utilized by either the media or election campaigns to distort the real voice of the people,” Lu told a press conference, in which she unveiled her campaign theme song and her vision for Taipei.

EDITORIAL: Presidency or legislative majority?

While the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has vowed that it will do everything possible to win the presidential election in 2016, former premier Yu Shyi-kun has been advocating a different idea. While winning the presidency is important, winning a majority in the 113-member Legislative Yuan could be even more crucial for safeguarding Taiwan’s sovereignty and prosperity, Yu says, adding that “de facto governance” would not be achieved until the DPP wins a legislative majority.

Yu, the longest-serving premier under the 2000 to 2008 DPP administration, understands to what extent a legislative minority can hamper an administration, as many DPP-initiated bills and proposals were blocked by the majority Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) during his tenure, while domestic politics was deadlocked by party ideology.

Groups protest service trade agreement

KEEPING MUM:：A group said it prepared a questionnaire on lawmakers’ positions on the service trade agreement, but that none of the KMT legislators was willing to fill it in
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Dec 23, 2013 - Page 1

Without a mechanism to regulate cross-strait negotiation and safeguard local industries, the livelihoods of millions of Taiwanese will be at stake if the government pushes the cross-strait service trade agreement between Taiwan and China through the legislature, hundreds of protesters said yesterday.

“If [the pact] is not screened clause-by-clause, we’ll fight to the very end,” Chen Chih-ming (陳志銘), president of the Kaohsiung Federation of Labor Unions, told protesters, who braved low temperatures and wind to gather in front of the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei.

The protesters demanded that several pieces of legislation be passed to ensure transparency and democratic principles before the pact is screened by the Legislative Yuan.

DPP wants bills before pact

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Three pieces of legislation must be passed and a complete list of meeting documents, the negotiators involved and categories to be liberalized must be disclosed before the Legislative Yuan begins its screening of the cross-strait service trade agreement, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers said yesterday.

“The entire process of the agreement — from the first day of negotiations to the day the pact’s contents were announced — has been opaque and undemocratic. The people of Taiwan have been unable to learn about and assess the potential impact of the deal on the economy and industrial development,” DPP lawmakers Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) told a press conference.

Government works to deport fugitive officer from the UK

ON THE RUN:Emily Yeh said that she decided to leave the military because her comrades made fun of her age and she had been ‘treated as a weirdo’
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Government agencies said yesterday that they are working with the UK on the deportation of a fugitive Taiwanese military officer and reiterated that the officer’s long stay in the UK was for personal reasons rather than a defection.

Emily Yeh (葉玫), an officer in the Military Intelligence Bureau, was detained at an immigration center in Bedfordshire, England, on Tuesday after being detained by the UK Border Agency for illegal immigration, the Central New Agency (CNA) quoted British newspaper the South Wales Argus as saying yesterday.

Ma, KMT warned over service pact

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Civic groups and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday warned President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) over their reported plan to push the cross-strait service trade agreement through the legislature in an extra session, saying that such a move would have “consequences.”

As the current legislative session draws to a close, sources say the KMT caucus is planning to propose holding a two-week extra session beginning on Jan. 2 to pass the government’s budget plan, legislation related to government reform and the trade pact.

Chai Trong-rong suffers stroke, in critical condition

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) underwent an emergency operation yesterday after suffering a stroke and remained in critical condition at press time.

Chai, 78, was found unconscious by his maid at about 8:30am in his residence in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Banciao District (板橋) and was transported to National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital for treatment.

Ma flunks out of president class: poll

F IS FOR FAIL:The premier and local KMT officials also failed the survey conducted by the DPP, which said that according to the results, Ma did not even qualify for a retake
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) received 39.2 points out of a possible 100 for his performance as head of state this year, an opinion poll conducted by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) showed yesterday.

Ma’s administration also received poor grades, with Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) earning just 42.4 points and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) mayors and commissioners bagging 57.5 points, all below the passing grade of 60, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) told a press conference.

TSU questions readiness of freeway payment scheme

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) yesterday raised concerns over the “pay as you go” freeway toll scheme, questioning the budget, toll rate and the authority’s ability to track unpaid tolls.

“The readiness of the program is highly questionable,” Hsu told a press conference after Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) said on Monday that the scheme would be implemented on Dec. 30.

Ko still undecided after meeting DPP’s Su

YES OR NO?Ko Wen-je and Su Tseng-chang held a 90-minute closed-door meeting yesterday to discuss the physician’s ideas and plans for the Taipei mayoral race
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), a physician who is mulling running in next year’s Taipei mayoral election, met with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday, but said he had not made up his mind about the joining the party.

However, he was reportedly leaning toward joining eventually.

“I believe that the decision will be made shortly after several issues have been worked out. However, I am glad that we had a pleasant discussion and established a direct channel communications,” Ko said after the 90-minute closed-door meeting at the DPP headquarters in Taipei yesterday morning.

EDITORIAL: DPP’s factionalism raises concerns

Tue, Dec 17, 2013 - Page 8

“Taiwan Next,” the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) campaign slogan in last year’s presidential election, remains fresh in some people’s minds, but the real issue to pay attention to, in terms of domestic political development, is “DPP Next.” Specifically, what should happen to the party now.

The next presidential election is a little over two years away, but the DPP’s factionalism, which seems never to have gone away, has left supporters and observers scratching their heads, wondering what will happen to the party, which is desperate to regain power.

Tsai opens ‘Hakka culture’ office

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday established an office in Guanxi Township (關西), Hsinchu County, as part of her effort to deepen her connection with the predominantly Hakka constituencies in northwestern Taiwan.

“The office was established with the aim of learning from the Hakka culture, exploring local people’s needs, as well as avoiding the so-called ‘Taipei perspective’ so we can consolidate the power of the Hakka people and bolster Taiwan’s future,” Tsai, a Hakka, said in the opening ceremony, according to a press release issued by her Taipei office.

‘Oral History’ about DPP establishment launched

DIVERSITY:Containing interviews with important figures from the founding of the DPP, it shows the range of views around the one unifying goal of freedom and democracy
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The founding members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have had different goals for both the future of the party and Taiwan from the day the DPP was established — Sept. 28, 1986. This was the reflection of several founding members in a book documenting the party’s establishment and at a ceremony to launch the book yesterday.

The diversity of DPP members’ political ideology could be regarded as a natural phenomenon, considering the political atmosphere of the dangwai (黨外, “outside the party”) — period before the party was born, said Chen Yi-shen (陳儀深) Academia Sinica research fellow and chief editor of Oral History of the DPP, in which 15 politicians and political advocates are interviewed about the party’s establishment and early days.

Ko Wen-je still undecided about DPP membership

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), an independent hopeful for the Taipei mayoralty, yesterday said he was still contemplating joining the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but hinted that his doing so could cost the DPP the election.

“Why would you want to lock a lion up in a cage when you know that it’s going to cost you the election?” Ko said, when asked about his relationship with the party in an interview with Newtalk, an online news site.

Sean Lien is clear favorite for Taipei mayor: survey

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Taipei EasyCard Corp chairman Sean Lien (連勝文) was the most qualified candidate for the Taipei mayoralty, while incumbent Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) is expected to face a tough battle if he decides to seek re-election next year, a survey released yesterday showed.

Conducted by Taiwan Indicators Research Survey (TISR), respondents were asked who they saw as qualified among 11 hopefuls in Taipei and six in Greater Taichung, both seats considered symbolic, must-win constituencies for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Su to meet with Ko Wen-je to discuss polarizing Taipei bid

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said he may meet with National Taiwan University physician Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) as early as next week to discuss Ko’s strained relationship with the party.

Ko, an independent who has been leading all pan-green camp aspirants in the DPP primary for Taipei mayor in public approval ratings, has been mulling whether to join the party.

DPP considers forming TPP task force

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is mulling establishing a task force focused on studying Taiwan entering Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotations, a party official said yesterday.

If established, the task force may comprise party officials and think tank experts, and would conduct studies on negotiation strategy, policy recommendations and the holding of exchanges with foreign governments, as well as international academics, DPP Department of International Affairs director Liu Shih-chung (劉世忠) said.

DPP attacks SID for spying on it, others

‘NEXT’ STORY:：The report says the SID provided Ma Ying-jeou with details of Wang Jin-pyng’s schedule and meetings and a call between Ker Chien-ming and Rex How
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Thu, Dec 12, 2013 - Page 1

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday condemned the Special Investigation Division’s (SID) reported political surveillance of the party and several individuals, saying that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and officials in charge should be held accountable.

The latest edition of the Chinese-language weekly Next Magazine yesterday reported that the division carried out political surveillance of Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), the DPP and a publisher who has voiced opposition to the cross-strait service trade agreement.

Food prices have surged on power hikes: TSU

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Electricity and fuel price hikes have driven up commodity prices and affected the livelihoods of people from all walks of life, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus said yesterday.

Citing data provided by the Council of Agriculture, the caucus told a news conference that using the council’s list of 322 agricultural and seafood products as basis, the prices of 189 items had risen in comparison with the same period last year.

DPP riven by factionalism as primary polls heat up

BACKLASH:Annette Lu said the primaries have become a proxy for competition between party heavyweights and could cost the party dearly during the elections
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Divisions within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have come to the fore again, as the party prepares for the seven-in-one elections next year, with former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) warning that it could turn away public support.

Lu, who is hoping to represent the DPP in the race for Taipei mayor next year, said the Taipei primary has become a “proxy war” between party heavyweights and could result in a public backlash.

KMT will face its past honestly: Ma

OPPRESSION REMEMBERED:Victims of the 228 Incident and their relatives attended a Taipei concert, while Kaohsiung Incident survivors also marked Human Rights Day
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter, with CNA

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) cannot evade its responsibility for past human rights violations and will face up to the past honestly, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday.

Speaking at a memorial concert in Taipei on International Human Rights Day, Ma said whether it is the 228 Incident or the White Terror era, his party must face its mistakes with a reflective attitude.

Su, AIT chair discuss Chinese zone

MAINTAINING STABILITY:The DPP chairman underlined the importance of all countries in the Asia-Pacific region working together to lower tensions and avoiding conflict
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) met American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond Burghardt yesterday to discuss the party’s China policy and the recent escalation of regional tensions due to China’s demarcation of an air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the DPP said.

Burghardt, who arrived in Taiwan on Sunday for a five-day visit, met with Su at the DPP headquarters for a 60-minute closed-door meeting, according to a press release issued by the party.

CPC is failing at corporate reform efforts: lawmaker

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus yesterday accused CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC) of failing to undertake corporate reforms, citing its increased expenditure on water, electricity and public relations.

Having spent NT$5.35 billion (US$18 million) last year and NT$6.35 billion this year on water and electricity bills, CPC allocated NT$7.2 billion for the same items in its budget plan for next year, DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) told a news conference.

EDITORIAL: Ma must uphold human rights pledge

Tue, Dec 10, 2013 - Page 8

When it comes to cross-strait affairs and policies, similarities are hard to find between the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), except for one thing: human rights.

Administrations under the two parties both emphasized human rights as one of their core values and said Taiwan’s advocacy for human rights and democracy could serve as an example and model for the Chinese Communist Party regime.

Kuo to fight conviction

DPP TARGETED?Lawyers said that DPP officials are being targeted in corruption cases and that situations where the KMT have been accused were being ignored
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former minister of transportation and communications Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪), who was sentenced to eight years in prison on corruption charges on Thursday, said yesterday that she would resort to all possible legal proceedings to fight the conviction.

“I have never received bribes... A reputation is not earned in one or two days. I have spent my entire career as a public servant building a good reputation. All my associates know I am not someone who can be bribed,” Kuo told a press conference in Taipei.

Lu again plays down her age in her bid for Taipei

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

In response to recent comments about her age, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), who aspires to win the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) nomination for the Taipei mayoral election next year, yesterday said that it is the “brain” rather than “age” that matters.

“The way I see it, the media and some politicians should stop dwelling on the subject and move on to the more substantial issues. The fact that [former premier] Yu Shyi-kun (游錫) won the New Taipei City (新北市) primary and [former Keelung mayor] Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) won in Yunlin County says it all: Voters do not care about age,” Lu said.

Public disagrees with ADIZ response: poll

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A majority of respondents view President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) response to China’s demarcation of its East China Sea air defense identification zone (ADIZ) as “too soft,” a public opinion survey conducted by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has shown.

Of the 1,338 valid responses, 75.2 percent said that the Civil Aeronautics Administration should not comply with China’s request for flight plans, while 15.4 percent agreed with the move, according to the DPP poll conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Renegotiate service trade pact: groups

RECIPROCITY?The pact will require Taiwan to open almost all its industries to Chinese investment, but China is not offering the same back, protesters said
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Representatives from civic groups, the manufacturing and retail industries and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday voiced their strong opposition to a proposed cross-strait service trade agreement on the sidelines of a public hearing at the legislature on the agreement’s impact on local businesses.

Taiwan ‘need not’ choose sides on zone

QUESTION OF APPROACH:：A former US State Department official said the key issue about the zone is governments in the region approaching disputes through dialogue
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Thu, Dec 05, 2013 - Page 3

Taiwan’s handling of Beijing’s demarcation of an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) is not a matter of choosing between the US-Japan alliance and China, and President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration’s call for resolving the dispute through dialogue is welcome, former US deputy secretary of state James Steinberg said yesterday.

“It is a question of all the governments in the region trying to reach and approach their disputes with dialogues and discussions” despite differences of opinion about sovereignty and territory, Steinberg said in response to a media inquiry.

Legislature votes on CEC

The Legislative Yuan yesterday voted to retain Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairperson Chang Po-ya (張博雅) and Vice Chairperson Liu Yi-chou (劉義周) in their posts, and approved four nominees to the commission. After legislators cast their ballots along party lines, Chang, 71, and Liu both won another four-year term by a margin of 65-42, with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers endorsing the Executive Yuan’s nominees and the opposition parties voting against them. The Democratic Progressive Party caucus said it voted against the nominations because President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had used the commission as a political tool during the so-called “September strife” and because the candidates did not include representatives from the opposition.

Former premier wins DPP primary for New Taipei

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former premier Yu Shyi-kun won the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) primary for the New Taipei City (新北市) mayoral election next year after defeating former lawmaker Chuang Shuo-han (莊碩漢) in a public opinion poll, the party announced yesterday.

Yu, who served as premier from 2002 to 2005, is expected to be nominated as the DPP candidate in next month’s Central Executive Committee meeting, DPP Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) told a press conference.

Schools to teach Nanjing is ROC capital: ministry

POSITIONING:：In a document sent to schools across the nation, the Ministry of Education said teachers should clearly explain the positioning of the ROC capital
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Wed, Dec 04, 2013 - Page 1

A government document ordering schools’ procurement of teaching materials that mark Nanjing as the capital of the Republic of China (ROC) and Taipei as the current location of the central government indicated President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration’s persistent attempts to promote the links between Taiwan and China, as well as the administration’s misinterpretation of the Constitution, lawmakers and academics said yesterday.

A photograph posted by National Taipei University of Education professor Lee Hsiao-feng (李筱峰) on Facebook yesterday, which showed a Ministry of Education document issued on Monday to schools nationwide, went viral on the Internet.

EDITORIAL: DPP and KMT not moving forward

This November marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of US president John F. Kennedy, and the fifth year since former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was detained and imprisoned on charges of corruption.

On Nov. 22, 1963, Kennedy, one of the most beloved and respected presidents in US history, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. However, the premature end to Kennedy’s presidency did not erase him from people’s memory.

Quite the contrary, what Kennedy did and said during his three-year period in the White House was — and still is — able to inspire the American people.

Students vow to fight for same-sex marriage

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Dozens of university student associations and student organizations across the country yesterday announced the establishment of an alliance to support the legalization of same-sex marriage, saying that the time is ripe for such a change to eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Citing the results of several public opinion polls conducted by various institutions in the past year, student representatives said at a press conference in front of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei that more than half of the respondents supported revising Article 972 of the Civil Code and legalizing same-sex marriage.

Jailed activists’ daughters ask government for help

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The daughters of two imprisoned Chinese dissidents yesterday at an international press conference appealed for the government’s assistance to help rescue their fathers, while Taiwanese human rights activists demanded that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) call on Beijing to release 18 political prisoners.

“My father has always seen Taiwan’s democracy as a model for China. Hopefully, the Taiwanese government and the Taiwanese people will not let him down,” Ti-anna Wang (王天安), daughter of activist Wang Bingzhang (王炳章), told a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.

Netizens allege conspiracy over accidents

By Chen Ching-min and Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer
Mon, Dec 02, 2013 - Page 3

Two accidents and other incidents involving activists has spurred speculation on the Internet that the incidents might have been “carefully orchestrated” by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in an effort to eliminate dissidents.

The administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who also doubles as KMT chairman, has been bombarded with criticism for the past year over a wide range of issues, from the forced demolition of four houses in Miaoli County’s Dapu Borough (大埔) and the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement to the death of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘) in July and the fate of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao Dictrict (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市).

DPP camp held for Chinese students to boost understanding

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has taken a first step toward closer engagement with Chinese students in Taiwan with a two-day student camp, hoping the activity will foster better understanding between the two sides.

In the camp, held on Saturday and yesterday by the party’s think tank, 34 students focused on democracy and human rights as well as Taiwan’s history and its struggle for human rights.

Cairo Declaration as legal basis incorrect: advocates

‘FALSE PERCEPTION’:A history professor said that the president’s interpretation of the Cairo Declaration could bolster Beijing’s sovereignty claim over the Diaoyutai Islands
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) interpretation of the Cairo Declaration, issued on Dec. 1, 1943, as the legal basis of Taiwan’s “return” to the Republic of China (ROC) after World War II was not only incorrect, but also dangerous because his rhetoric was exactly the same as that of Beijing, pro-independence advocates said yesterday.

“[Ma’s interpretation] fits right in with the ‘one China’ framework, which would be interpreted by the international community as saying Taiwan is part of China because hardly anyone would recognize the China in ‘one China’ framework as referring to the ROC,” Taiwan Society President Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲), a former president of the Academia Historica, told a press conference.

Wei Ming-ku wins DPP’s Changhua County primary

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) won the DPP’s primary after finishing first in a public opinion poll and is expected to be nominated as the party’s candidate in the Changhua County commissioner election next year, the DPP announced yesterday.

“Wei Ming-ku has won in an accumulated public opinion poll, which included surveys conducted by three companies. As per the agreement of all five aspirants prior to the poll, the numerical result will not be made public,” DPP Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) told a press conference.

DPP supporters are struggling with new China policy: survey

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters appeared to be struggling with the party’s position toward Beijing as a considerable percentage of them agreed that a revised and more moderate China policy would likely increase the party’s chances of returning to power, a survey released yesterday showed.

Of the respondents who identified themselves as DPP supporters in a public opinion poll conducted by Taiwan Indicators Survey Research (TISR), 39.5 percent said that it is necessary for the party to formulate a “more moderate” China policy, while 23.3 percent deemed it unnecessary and 8.7 percent preferred a more conservative policy.

Discipline Committee clears DPP caucus whip

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Legislative Yuan’s Discipline Committee yesterday concluded that Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) was not guilty of improper lobbying and that he would not be reprimanded.

The resolution was passed by seven DPP lawmakers in a meeting chaired by DPP Legislator Chen Ming-wen (陳明文), with none of the eight Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers attending.

Resolution urges air zone protest

STABILITY:：The Executive Yuan also issued a four-point statement calling for a peaceful resolution of disputes, but failed to address the legislative call
By Chris Wang and Shih Hsiu-chuan  /  Staff reporters
Sat, Nov 30, 2013 - Page 1

The legislature’s caucus leaders, including the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), yesterday approved a non-binding resolution demanding that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration lodge an official protest with China over its unilateral demarcation of an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea.

The resolution asks Ma to file a stern protest against the Chinese demarcation, which it said has destabilized regional stability, and to take concerted action with the nation’s democratic allies by refusing to submit flight plans as Beijing has requested.

Ko Wen-je plans to take year off for campaign

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital’s department of traumatology director Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday that he is taking a year’s leave from the hospital to work on his campaign for the Taipei mayoral election in December next year.

In what appeared to be the strongest hint yet at his determination to participate in the election, the physician said he would take a year’s leave of absence from the NTU Hospital, beginning in January next year, to run his campaign.

Final verdict sets 12-year prison term for Yen

THREE YEARS CUT:Of the four charges, one returned a not-guilty verdict and two were commuted to fines leaving a prison term of 12 years for the former minister
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter Staff reporter

Yen Wan-ching (顏萬進), former deputy minister of the interior in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), received a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence in the final verdict of a corruption case.

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the verdict from the second trial, in which the Taiwan High Court found Yen guilty of accepting bribes totaling NT$1.2 million (US$40,500) from a developer who wanted a construction license for the proposed Beitou gondola project.

Chiang grandson indicted on charges of threatening school

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Andrew Chiang (蔣友青), the grandson of former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), was indicted yesterday for allegedly making threats against Taipei American School (TAS) and its vice principal.

The 23-year-old son of Chiang Ching-kuo’s youngest son, Chiang Hsiao-yung (蔣孝勇), was charged with disturbing public peace and threatening to cause injury to others, according to Article 151 and Article 305 of the Criminal Code, Shihlin District Prosecutors’ Office spokesperson Su Pei-yu (蘇佩鈺) said.

Ministry makes light of China carrier’s passage

MAKING WAVES:A DPP legislator urged the president to lodge a protest with Beijing, saying that there was a risk of the Taiwan Strait becoming a Chinese inland sea
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Ministry of National Defense yesterday confirmed that the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning passed through the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning — without crossing its median line — en route to the South China Sea, reiterating that the ministry had monitored the entire passage.

The voyage has drawn attention from Taiwan’s military and the international community amid rising tension over China’s demarcation of an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea on Saturday.

Work with allies on ADIZ issue: DPP

SOVEREIGNTY:The Ma government should demand that China abolish the air defense identification zone in order to restore peace and stability to the region, the party said
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan should seek to work with its democratic allies Japan, the US, South Korea and ASEAN members in the face of rising tensions in the East China Sea following Beijing’s demarcation of an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Saturday, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.

Taiwanese airlines should not submit their flight plans to Beijing as it has requested, it added.

DPP tells PRC to respect public, party views

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday called on China to respect Taiwanese mainstream public opinion and core values, as well as the party’s move to foster more constructive bilateral ties after Beijing publicly denounced its draft China policy.

The DPP arrived at a preliminary consensus earlier this month after months-long discussions on plans to revise the party’s China policy following its defeat in the presidential election last year. Participants at the last meeting agreed that constitutionalism should be the foundation of all bilateral engagement with China.

Su denies reports he will run for mayor

TAIPEI RACE:An article claimed that Su Tseng-chang may be forced to run because his choice to represent the party is lagging behind Annette Lu in public polls
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday denied reports that he was planning to join the Taipei mayoral race next year and was trying to persuade former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) to drop her bid to represent the party in the election.

The remarks came in response to a column posted by political commentator Wu Tsu-chia (吳子嘉) on the my-formosa.com online news Web site yesterday which alleged that Su had decided to enter the election and had sent DPP caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) to dissuade Lu from running in the party’s primary.

Big business pushes service pact

HANG ON:：Groups asked legislators to listen to the people before ratifying the cross-strait service trade agreement and not cave in to any ‘external pressure’
By Lee Yu-hsin and Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer
Wed, Nov 27, 2013 - Page 3

Representatives from Taiwan’s six major industrial and commercial associations yesterday urged lawmakers to expedite the ratification of the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement during a visit to Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), amid angry chants from groups rallying outside the legislature against what they described as big corporations’ attempts to “sell the nation.”

The six business representatives included Chinese National Federation of Industries chairman Rock Hsu (許勝雄), General Chamber of Commerce chairman Lawrence Chang (張平沼), Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce chairman Kenneth Lo (駱錦明), Taiwan Federation of Industry chairman Hsu Hsien-rong (許顯榮), Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association chairman Gou Tai-chiang (郭台強) and National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises president Lin Hui-ying (林慧瑛).

Groups protest ARATS chairman visit

SHARED VIEWS:：Students, TSU members and Falun Gong practitioners began their wave of protests against the Chinese official when he arrived at the airport
By Chris Wang and Mo Yan-chih  /  Staff reporters
Wed, Nov 27, 2013 - Page 1

Activists from various groups yesterday protested against a visit by the Association of Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chairman Chen Deming (陳德銘) over concerns about the negative impact of the cross-strait service trade agreement.

Protesters from the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) and civic groups followed Chen, who arrived in Taipei yesterday for an eight-day visit, at every stop, including the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and the Strait Exchange Foundation’s (SEF) headquarters.

China’s ADIZ not connected to sovereignty: Ma

CONSEQUENCES:：The Ministry of Foreign Affairs dodged questions about the Civil Aeronautics Administration’s decision to abide by new rules on airspace set by China
By Chris Wang and Shih Hsiu-chuan  /  Staff reporters, with CNA
Wed, Nov 27, 2013 - Page 1

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said that China’s declaration of an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over an area of the East China Sea does not involve “air space” or “territorial sovereignty,” but that Taiwan will express its “serious” concern to China and other parties.

It is the first time Ma has commented on Beijing’s ADIZ move, which was announced on Saturday and has generally been viewed as upping the ante in China’s confrontation with Japan over the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) — known to Japanese as the Senkaku Islands — which Taiwan also claims sovereignty over.

EDITORIAL: A tale-of-two-cities test for the DPP

Tue, Nov 26, 2013 - Page 8

Next year’s mayoral elections in Taipei and New Taipei City (新北市), which will be extremely difficult for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to win unless something extraordinary happens, have been — and will be — worth people’s attention.

The issue appears a hot potato for the party now and could very well be the decisive factor of the unprecedented seven-in-one elections, which will be held in December next year.

On the surface, the mayoral positions are only two of the 22 seats — six special municipality mayors and 16 mayors and commissioners — up for grabs nationwide, but the political implications and complexity go far beyond the numbers.

No assistance to Polish envoy with traffic ticket: MOFA

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Wednesday denied using its influence to have a Polish official’s speeding ticket in Taipei voided two years ago, saying that the Warsaw Trade Office had paid the NT$8,000 fine.

A Taipei-based official of the office was fined for speeding at 140kph at about 2am on Oct. 10, 2011 on the Xinyi Expressway, which has a speed limit of 70kph, Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲) told a press conference.

TSU’s Lin confirms mulling mayoral bid in New Taipei City’s election next year

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) confirmed yesterday that he is mulling running in the New Taipei City (新北市) mayoral election next year and said he hopes that a public opinion poll on TSU and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) aspirant mayoral candidates will be held to determine who will be the best candidate for the pan-green camp.

A TSU meeting on the seven-in-one elections next year accepted Lin’s proposal and asked TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) to meet with DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to discuss the matter.

Tainan residents protest project, mayor’s nomination

By Loa Iok-sin  /  Staff reporter
Thu, Nov 21, 2013 - Page 3

A group of Greater Tainan residents affected by an underground railroad project yesterday protested outside the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters in Taipei as the party officially announced the nomination of incumbent Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) for re-election next year.

“Stop robbing us, Lai! Stop playing dumb, DPP,” the protesters shouted, urging the party not to nominate Lai unless he would talk with them to settle the dispute.

DPP aims to win half of election zones

AMBITIOUS:The party introduced its first seven candidates for next year’s seven-in-one elections, while primaries are to be held to determine the rest
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday set an ambitious goal for the mayoral and commissioner elections next year — to win at least half of the 22 administrative zones across the country — as the party announced its first batch of candidates for the elections.

“The DPP hopes that it can win in at least three of the six special municipalities and eight of the 16 cities and counties,” Su told a press conference after he introduced the DPP’s first group of seven candidates for the mayoral and commissioner elections.

Culture minister has three offices: lawmaker

PUBLIC WASTE?A ministry official defended Lung Ying-tai, saying that the minister only uses one office and that the other two serve other functions
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲) yesterday accused Minister of Culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) of wasting public funds by maintaining three offices in various locations in metropolitan Taipei.

Lung has offices in the Ministry of Culture building, the now-defunct Government Information Office (GIO) building and the Taipei office of the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute, Huang told a news conference.

Lo drops out of DPP New Taipei City mayor race

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) yesterday announced his withdrawal from the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) New Taipei City (新北市) mayoral primary, saying he did not have enough time to prepare for the campaign.

Lo’s withdrawal left the primary with two aspirants, former premier Yu Shyi-kun (游錫?) and former DPP legislator Chuang Shuo-han (莊碩漢), with Yu regarded as the odds-on favorite.

DPP to ask grand justices to rule on nuclear plant

‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’:The Ma government’s insistence on resuming construction in spite of public opposition goes against the spirit of the Constitution, the party said
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday said it would request a constitutional interpretation on the controversial construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, adding that the government’s decision to resume the construction is a violation of the Constitution.

President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration has turned a blind eye to public concern about the safety of the plant in Gongliao District (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), and the environmental threat and pollution it poses, which all constitute violations of the Constitution, the caucus told a press conference.

Taiwan declares ties with the Gambia ‘terminated’

CASH GRAB?：Gambian President Yahya Jammeh ‘made a financial request’ in January, said to be for US$10 million in cash, which went against Taiwan’s policy on foreign aid
By Shih Hsiu-chuan  /  Staff reporter
Tue, Nov 19, 2013 - Page 1

The government yesterday declared diplomatic relations with the Gambia had been terminated as it could not accept the country’s “exorbitant demands” for aid, which went against the principles of the nation’s foreign aid policy, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said yesterday.

David Lin did not elaborate on what Gambian President Yahya Jammeh had asked for from Taiwan that was deemed “unacceptable,” but in response to a question from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), he confirmed that Jammeh “made a financial request” in January.

Activists call for action by president on Diaoyutais

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Activists yesterday urged President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration to take action on the disputed sovereignty of the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) by the end of the year before they take the issue to the International Court of Justice.

The activists, led by former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏), said they were concerned about a possible war between China and Japan, both of which also claim the islands, as Japan recently conducted a large-scale military exercise in the region.

Tsai’s office has no further comment on chairperson election

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) office yesterday said it had no further comment on a “groundless” report that Tsai would run for the DPP chairmanship in May’s election.

In a story headlined “Tsai to run for DPP chair,” the Chinese-language China Times yesterday quoted an unnamed DPP member as saying that Tsai had decided to run for the party’s top post, while quoting Tsai’s spokesperson Hung Yao-fu (洪耀福) as saying that the speculation was incorrect.

MOEA’s ‘trade ploy’ criticized

‘BACK DOOR’ MOVE:Legislators said the government was trying to evade oversight of trade pacts and investment rules by ‘secretly’ amending Chinese investment rules
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration has opened a “back door” for Chinese investment to be exempt from restrictions in the planned free economic pilot zones (FEPZs) before the zones are established and the cross-strait service trade agreement clears the legislature, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers said yesterday.

“It is illegal. It is like a false start in the 100 meter dash,” DPP Legislator Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) told a press conference.

EDITORIAL: Awaiting the DPP’s China policy

Tue, Nov 19, 2013 - Page 8

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) announced last week that it expects to finalize the preliminary conclusion of its latest China policy in early January, after months of discussions following its bitter loss in the presidential election last year.

A new China policy, the party said, is necessary to convince voters that it can manage cross-strait relations better than the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), something that former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) failed to do in her presidential campaign. The discussion has also somehow become a tradition, as the party has always fine-tuned its China policy before every presidential election in the past.

Honesty is top priority: Ko Wen-je

OPTIONS OPEN:The physician said he is preparing for the Taipei mayoral race at his own pace, but did not comment on whether he would join the DPP
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Outspoken Taipei mayoral aspirant Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), director of National Taiwan University Hospital’s Department of Traumatology, yesterday showed no remorse for his outspokenness, saying that honesty is the No. 1 priority for a politician and he was still taking things on his own pace in preparation for the election.

The physician said he did have second thoughts about his recent comments about imprisoned former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), when he stated that Chen is now a “wreck” and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should not fear the former president’s political re-emergence and grant him amnesty.

Academics raise issues over a DPP return to power

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Academics yesterday raised questions about a “pan-Chinese identity” consensus and unchanged cross-strait relations if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) returned to power in 2016 — the findings in a series of seasonal public opinion polls.

The Taiwan Competitiveness Forum, a think tank known for its pro-unification stance, yesterday summarized the findings in four seasonal polls, conducted by Apollo Survey and Research Co Ltd, a polling firm under Want Want China Times Group, which asked Taiwanese about their perception of connections with China.

DPP denies Su Tseng-chang plans to run for Taipei mayor

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters yesterday denied that Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) has been mulling participating in the Taipei mayoral election next year.

The Chinese-language United Evening News reported yesterday that Su, persuaded by party members, has been weighing up a decision to run in the election and has recently “shown interest” in throwing his hat into the race.

DPP’s PRC policy to be out in January

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) new China policy is expected to be finalized in a China Affairs Committee (CAC) meeting on Jan. 9 next year, the party said yesterday.

However, the party was reluctant to call it a “new” China policy as the core values of safeguarding Taiwan’s sovereignty, among others, would remain unchanged and there would be only minor tweaks in its strategy in dealing with Beijing, CAC spokesperson Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said in a press briefing.

Chang Chi boss released on bail of NT$12 million

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory Co (大統長基) chairman Kao Cheng-li (高振利), a central figure in the recent tainted oil controversy, was yesterday released on a NT$12 million (US$405,000) bail after a preliminary proceeding at the Changhua District Court.

Prosecutors demanded Kao be detained for not giving details about the origin of the copper chlorophyllin substance Kao’s company added to its oil products and to prevent possible collusion, but the court rejected the demand.

President’s approval rate hits new low

WORSE AND WORSE:The latest Taiwan Indicators Survey Research poll has the president’s rating at 12.8 percent and the premier’s at 17.8 percent
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has recorded the lowest approval rating since his inauguration in 2008, with his Cabinet members also struggling to win approval, a public opinion survey released yesterday showed.

Ma’s latest approval rating of 12.8 percent was the lowest yet in a tracking poll that began when Ma took office in May 2008: 75.2 percent of respondents said they were not satisfied with the president’s performance, according to the Taiwan Indicators Survey Research (TISR) poll.

FDA confirms oil warning from Spain

‘NEXT’ ISSUE:：The FDA director said the agency had not been able to carry out tests on the Taisun Enterprise and Fwusow Industry products when Madrid notified Taipei
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer
Thu, Nov 14, 2013 - Page 1

The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday confirmed a media report that Spain had notified Taiwan as early as in 2009 about possible illicitly mixed oil products, but that officials did not take action at the time.

The Chinese-language Next Magazine edition published yesterday reported that the Spanish government notified Taiwan in 2009 and 2011 about some products manufactured by Taisun Enterprise Co (泰山企業) and Fwusow Industry (福壽油品) it suspected had been adulterated. The firms allegedly mixed imported olive pomace oil with other low-quality oil and sold the mix as pure olive oil.

Ma criticized for rushing service pact

SLOW DOWN:A civic group and lawmakers spurned the president’s call to accelerate public hearings on the deal, saying that an issue that affects so many requires time
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Activists and legislators yesterday panned President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) call to speed up the public hearings being held on the cross-strait service trade agreement, saying that the government and the public should take their time examining the potential impact the pact may have on the nation.

Although Ma blamed the legislature for stalling the agreement’s passage by being slow in organizing the hearings, the slow pace of progress is due to government agencies’ reluctance to provide the information that needs to be discussed at the hearings, the Democratic Front Against Cross-Strait Trade in Services Agreement said in a press release.

State must speak against China in UNHRC: parties

SELF-HARM:Staying silent on Beijing’s nomination to the UN rights body would undermine Taiwan’s ‘soft power,’ said 22 lawmakers from three political parties
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Legislators from across party lines yesterday demanded that the government publicly announce its opposition to China joining the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) due to what they said were Beijing’s notorious human rights violations.

The Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are advised to issue official statements opposing China’s acceptance on to the council and calling for UN members to vote against Beijing’s nomination, a proposal tabled by the lawmakers said.

DPP’s Tsai advocates five-point plan to aid economy

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan should change its economic priority from achieving maximum growth to providing maximum well-being to its citizens, while adopting new, creative ideas to tackle the unprecedented challenges brought on by globalization and the rise of China, former Democratic Progressive Party chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.

“The goal [of maximum well-being] cannot be achieved without creating more job opportunities, raising wages, striking a balance between exports and the domestic consumption, and avoiding overdependence on one market,” she said as she delivered the keynote speech at a forum organized by the Taiwan Venture Capital Association.

INER wasting public funds: lawmaker

PRIVATE SIGHTSEEING?Hsu Chung-hsin questioned the nuclear research institute’s focus on China, instead of countries that have advanced nuclear technology
By Chris Wang and Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporters

A Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) lawmaker yesterday accused the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research’s (INER) of squandering public funds, questioning the sharp increase in budget allocated for inspection trips to China over the past five years.

The annual budget for China visits allocated by the institute under the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) has increased about sevenfold since 2010 — from NT$440,000 (US$14,900) in 2010 to NT$2.75 million for next year, TSU Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) told a news conference.

Su demands impact assessment report on FEPZs

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday demanded that the Executive Yuan present an impact assessment report on planned “free economic pilot zones” (FEPZ) to gauge the pros and cons of the policy.

“The current scheme of the ambitious plan has gone beyond its original experimental nature, while the potential damage that local municipalities and sectors might suffer remains unknown,” Su said after an internal party meeting that focused on the zones.

DPP mulls change in picking top prosecutor

‘INFORMATION LEAK’:Lawmakers are planning to remove the prosecutor-general’s security of tenure amid accusations that he has refused to cooperate in a probe
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday said it was considering an amendment that would give the power to appoint the prosecutor-general to the minister of justice, rather than the president, and to remove the top prosecutor’s security of tenure.

The Organic Act of Courts (法院組織法) states that the prosecutor-general is appointed by the president and is guaranteed a four-year tenure.

EDITORIAL: Taiwan losing patience with Ma, KMT

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) were supposed to respond — either through a heartfelt apology or a grand scheme to address flawed national policies — to the hundreds of protesters who threw shoes near the KMT congress venue in Greater Taichung on Sunday.

These actions are long overdue. For more than five years, Taiwanese have lived through a persistent crisis: slow economic growth, rising living expenses, backsliding democracy and human rights. Meanwhile all that has been on their president’s mind has been eliminating his political foes and rivals.

KMT heavyweights call for party unity

By Mo Yan-chih  /  Staff reporter, in Greater Taichung
Mon, Nov 11, 2013 - Page 1

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday renewed his pledge to reform the party and defended a controversial change to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) charter to make a KMT head of state automatically party chairman to enhance party-state cooperation at the KMT’s 19th national congress in Greater Taichung.

“I ran for KMT chairman twice over the past four years to deepen party reform and unity… The new system will enhance close cooperation between the party and the government, and I will be cooperative even it means my chairmanship will be cut short in one-and-a-half years,” he told the convention.

Time to end affair with Chiangs, look ahead: Ko Wen-je

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

It is time to sever the entanglement between Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) family and the public because the nation needs to move forward instead of dwelling on the past, National Taiwan University Hospital physician Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.

Ko, who is the director of the hospital’s Department of Traumatology and a potential aspirant for next year’s Taipei mayoral election, made the comment in response to media queries about the recent controversy involving Chiang’s great-grandson, Andrew Chiang (蔣友青).

DPP’s Su touts success of Manila trip on return

VALUABLE:The DPP chairman said the party’s profile had been raised and its links to overseas parties strengthened by the trip, during which he attended a regional summit
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday returned from a three-day visit to the Philippines, a trip he said had boosted the party’s international exposure and reaffirmed its shared democratic values with other Asian and European parties.

Su led a delegation that included 10 DPP legislators on the trip, the primary aim of which was attending the 20th anniversary and annual meeting of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats in Manila.

Vendors, wholesalers ‘helpless’ amid food safety scare

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Vendors and wholesalers have been helpless and forgotten amid the snowballing controversies over tainted edible oil products and public concerns over food safety due to the government’s inaction, business owners told a press conference organized by the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday.

“Thousands of vendors and wholesalers across the country have been on the ‘front line’ dealing with returned merchandise and refunds to consumers since the tainted oil controversy broke out, but we don’t know if we can get our money back from the upstream manufacturers,” store owner Chen Nian-tien (陳年添) told reporters.

Chen Shui-bian’s health deteriorating fast, his office says

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The speed of former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) brain degeneration is 17-and-a-half times of that of an ordinary person, Chen’s office said yesterday, calling for the immediate granting of home care for the imprisoned former president before his health deteriorates further.

Citing the findings of Chen’s private medical team and an expert panel convened by Control Yuan member Huang Huang-hsiung (黃煌雄), the office said in a press release that Chen’s trembling, stuttering and incontinence were signs of deteriorating brain functions.

Curb presidential power, activists say

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

An act governing presidential power should be enacted by the legislature to restrain the president from extending his power at will and the president should not serve as the chairman of his political party, activists proposed yesterday.

In light of what they said was President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) recent infringement of the Constitution with his “plot” to oust Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) charter revision to have the incumbent president automatically serve as KMT chairman, several groups, among them Taiwan Democracy Watch (TDW) and the Judicial Reform Foundation, made the recommendation at a press conference in Taipei.

Ma’s rating hits rock bottom: poll

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A new opinion poll by the Taiwan Thinktank shows that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) approval rating has hit a new low amid widespread opposition to his plan to revise the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) charter so that a sitting president from the party automatically becomes the party chairman.

The think tank said yesterday that almost two in three respondents, or 65.7 percent, said they disagreed with the planned revision of the KMT charter, which is to be voted on tomorrow, and 65.1 percent said Ma, who is the current KMT chairman, should be held accountable if the party loses next year’s seven-in-one municipal elections.

Committee wants Huang out after meeting no-show

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Legislative Yuan’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee yesterday reached a resolution demanding Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) step down after his absence from an investigative meeting.

Huang, who has been listed as a defendant in a secret-leaking case, refused to attend a meeting hosted by a document request task force under the legislative committee, which was in charge of probing recent controversies involving Huang and the Special Investigation Division’s (SID) wiretapping of the legislature.

President hails ASTEP Singapore free-trade deal

By Mo Yan-chih, Shelley Shan and Chris Wang  /  Staff reporters

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday hailed the signing earlier in the day of the Agreement between Singapore and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Partnership (ASTEP), saying it carried great significance and would facilitate the nation’s participation in regional economic integration in the Asia-Pacific area.

“The ASTEP is a top-quality free-trade agreement with a non-ally nation. With the economic pacts with the Singapore and New Zealand as a foundation, we will speed up efforts to join economic integration in Asia-Pacific region. We won’t allow Taiwan’s absence from [regional integration],” he said.

Ting Hsin Group chairman released on NT$10m bail

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Ting Hsin International Group chairman Wei Ying-chun, center, leaves the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday morning, having been released on NT$10 million bail over his alleged role in the company’s use of adulterated oil.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

Ting Hsin International Group (頂新集團) chairman Wei Ying-chun (魏應充) was indicted yesterday and released on NT$10 million (US$340,000) bail over allegations that his company had produced and marketed adulterated oil.

DPP urges minister to back up promise to remove oils

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday urged Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達) to keep his promise that tainted oil products would be completely removed from the market beginning today.

“Chiu pledged on Oct. 24 that Nov. 8 would be ‘D-Day,’ with all tainted oil products removed from the market. If he has failed to deliver on that promise, we urge him to step down,” DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) told a press conference.

DPP attacks president’s plan to raise debt ceiling

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday blasted President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) over his comment that Taiwan’s national debt was a “nonissue” and said the party opposed Ma’s intention to raise the debt ceiling.

“Ma’s comment reflects his ignorance and incompetence as government finances have deteriorated under his leadership. Taiwan will not have the EU to bail it out before it goes over the financial cliff,” DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) told a press conference.

DPP wants Huang Shih-ming to resign and be detained

COLLUSION?A video recording caught the prosecutor-general telling prosecutors to provide him with documents ahead of his court appearances
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) should step down immediately and be detained, especially after he was caught on tape possibly colluding to destroy evidence, the Democratic Progressive Party said yesterday.

DPP Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) on Tuesday released an audio recording at the Legislative Yuan of a telephone conversation in which Huang ordered Special Investigation Division (SID) prosecutors to send him certain documents in preparation for his court appearances.

Engineers see risk in trade pact

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese computer engineers would likely be hurt by the cross-strait service trade agreement due to the potential influx of cheaper Chinese workers, computer software representatives said yesterday.

“Young entry-level engineers are likely to be the first batch of victims of the pact because they could be replaced by cheaper, more experienced Chinese counterparts,” computer engineer Shen Chia-hung (沈佳弘) told a press conference organized by the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).

KMT committee proposes key charter revision

HOLDING ON:A motion to be voted on during Sunday’s party congress would link the KMT chairmanship with the nation’s presidency when the KMT is in power
By Mo Yan-chih and Chris Wang  /  Staff reporters

The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Organization and Development Committee yesterday proposed a revision to party regulations to make it mandatory for the nation’s president to serve as party chairman, part of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) plan for closer cooperation between the KMT and the government.

The proposal, raised during a meeting of the KMT Central Standing Committee, was presented under Ma’s instruction.

Singer’s PRC concert reportedly at risk

BEIJING BUMP?：Deserts Chang’s agent said they had not heard from the organizers about the Dec. 30 show, while two DPP officials urged young Chinese to show respect
By Chris Wang and Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter with staff writer and CNA
Thu, Nov 07, 2013 - Page 3

Taiwanese singer-songwriter Deserts Chang’s (張懸) concert in China next month might be canceled after scores of Chinese netizens threatened to boycott her over what they said was her pro-independence stance shown by holding a Republic of China (ROC) flag during a concert in the UK on Saturday.

The Hong Kong-based Phoenix New Media Web site yesterday reported that the Chinese organizers of Chang’s Dec. 30 concert at Beijing’s Wukesong Arena have received a cancelation notice and are waiting for an official announcement.

DPP’s Ker asked to testify

A resolution by the Legislative Yuan’s Discipline Committee yesterday asked Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) to testify before the committee on Friday next week to explain his alleged role in an improper lobbying case, which also involves Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平). Ker, who said that he had never asked Wang to lobby for him, reported himself to the legislature and demanded to be investigated. A plenary session at the legislature decided to refer the case to the Discipline Committee, and required the investigation to be digitally recorded and broadcast online simultaneously.

Jiang vows Aboriginal district elections

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday said he would amend the Local Government Act (地方制度法) so that Aboriginal districts in special municipalities could regain the right to elect their own officials.

The act stipulates that officials of Aboriginal districts in six special municipalities — the five current municipalities plus Taoyuan County, which is scheduled to be promoted at the end of next year — are to be appointed by mayors, Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) said during a question-and-answer session with Jiang yesterday.

Tsai, Hsieh deny Saturday meet report

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday denied a report that they had met on Saturday to discuss the DPP’s chairmanship election in May.

Cable news channel Formosa TV on Monday reported that the pair met on Saturday and that Tsai had urged Hsieh to run for the chairmanship against DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who is expected to seek re-election.

Pair to vie in DPP’s Taichung primary

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) yesterday announced he would seek the party’s candidacy for the Greater Taichung mayoral election next year.

Backed by several fellow DPP lawmakers, Tsai said told a press conference in the city that he was confident he could defeat Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), who has held the job for 13 years.

Premier trades trade barbs

NOT ‘ECFA-TIVE’?DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi said that despite government promises, the signing of the ECFA had not led to more trade pacts with other countries
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) yesterday accused each other of distorting facts during a heated debate in the legislature about the impact of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and the proposed service trade agreement.

During a 30-minute question-and-answer session, Lee said that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration had exaggerated the positive impact of the ECFA and had misinterpreted the meaning of free trade by “putting all the eggs in China’s basket.”

EDITORIAL: Civil disobedience in the making

Tue, Nov 05, 2013 - Page 8

Draped on their shoulders were banners with the slogan: “Serving jail terms with pride. No regrets at all,” as labor rights activists Mao Chen-fei (毛振飛) and Lin Tzu-wen (林子文) reported to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week over their lead roles in clashes with police at an egg-hurling protest last year.

Escorted by hundreds of supporters in a parade from the Ketagalan Boulevard to the prosecutors’ office, with fireworks set off for “celebration,” there was no expression of sorrow or regret on the pair’s faces.

Join recall petition instead of throwing shoes, Constitution 133 Alliance says

OPTION:Co-founder Neil Peng said that using the democratic mechanism of recalling incompetent lawmaker is a good way for people to voice their anger
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A recall campaign would be a better option for people to vent their anger against the government than throwing shoes at the president, an award-winning author said yesterday, on the completion of the first stage of a campaign to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇).

“Throwing shoes is good, but recalling incompetent lawmakers, a mechanism in the democratic system, is a better way to express your anger toward the current administration,” writer Neil Peng (馮光遠), co-founder of the Constitution 133 Alliance, said in front of the Legislative Yuan.

Su leaves for meeting of liberals

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) is scheduled to leave on a three-day visit to the Philippines on Friday, his fifth official overseas trip this year, the party said yesterday.

Su will lead a 27-member delegation, including 10 DPP legislators, for the 20th anniversary celebration and an annual meeting of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats in Manila, Liu Shih-chung (劉世忠), director of the party’s Department of International Affairs, told a news conference.

Ministry, DPP table food act revisions

DETERRING DANGER:：Both the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s and the DPP’s plans would impose harsher penalties for food safety violators in a bid to curb future scares
By Alison Hsiao and Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporters
Tue, Nov 05, 2013 - Page 1

The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday proposed increasing the maximum penalties for firms who adulterate food products with illicit substances or falsely advertise them, amid a snowballing controversy over adulterated edible oils.

In a report to the legislative plenary session, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達) said he plans to strengthen the punitive measures by amending the Act Governing Food Sanitation (食品衛生管理法) to counteract illegal acts in the manufacturing and advertising of food products.

Alliance to recall petition

The Constitution 133 Alliance said yesterday that it is set to submit 6,000 signatures, representing 2 percent of the electorate in New Taipei City’s (新北市) first district, that it has collected in requirement for the first phase of its recall campaign against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇), who represents the district, to the Central Election Commission today. The campaign, launched in August by award-winning writer Neil Peng (馮光遠) and film director Ko Yi-chen (柯一正), would need to collect another 40,000 signatures — 13 percent of the electorate — to pass the second phase for the recall proposal to pass. The recall campaign against Wu is the first in a series of campaigns to bring down lawmakers committed to partisan voting and who ignored public opinion in the legislature, the alliance said.

DPP proposes a central wiretapping authority

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) would propose a centralized surveillance agency in the Taiwan High Court to prevent illegal and political wiretapping in the future, the DPP caucus said yesterday.

The court would be the single institution in charge of coordinating national wiretap assignments, taking over the function from a range of agencies across government, including the Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice (MJIB) and the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the National Police Agency, DPP Legislator Wu Yi-chen (吳宜臻) told a press conference.

Ko paints ‘chaotic and dangerous’ DPP

DISAPPOINTING?Ko was unable to downplay Saturday’s remarks and DPP chairman Su said the comments would only probably ‘serve enemy interests and sadden friends’
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

National Taiwan University Hospital physician Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) comments about the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have intensified an already fierce battle over the party’s primary for the Taipei mayoral election next year.

Ko — who is not a DPP member and has been mulling whether to enter the race — on Saturday cited Confucius’ Analects (論語) in describing the DPP as a “chaotic and dangerous country,” which was why he has been hesitant about joining.

Lien Hui-hsin out on NT$2.5m bail

DEFENSE:Her father’s spokesperson defended her role at a firm that made dodgy weight-loss pills, adding that Lien Chan has been using the product for five years
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Lien Hui-hsin (連惠心), daughter of former vice president Lien Chan (連戰), was released on bail of NT$2.5 million (US$85,000) early yesterday morning after four hours of questioning at the Taipei Prosecutors’ Office about her role in a case involving her investment in a nutritional supplement company whose weight-loss pills were found to contain unauthorized drugs.

Lien Hui-hsin, who reported to the prosecutors’ office as a defendant at 7pm on Wednesday, did not answer media inquiries when she left the office at around 12:30am yesterday. Her lawyer Fang Wen-shuan (方文萱) said that Lien Hui-hsin was not aware of any wrongdoing by the company.

Experts say fresh strategies required for Chinese threat

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan can only break free from Beijing’s military threat and containment of its international space with stronger national defense and value-based diplomacy due to changing political dynamics and the positions of China and the US, academics said yesterday.

At a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-organized forum on cross-strait relations and regional security, experts said that although Washington remained Taiwan’s main ally, it has become harder for the US to assist Taiwan in the event of Chinese aggression.

Civic groups file lawsuit against business pair

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Civic group representatives filed a lawsuit with the Taipei Prosecutors’ Office yesterday against two China-based Taiwanese businessmen over alleged bribery in last year’s presidential election.

The lawsuit was filed against Kuo Shan-hui (郭山輝), chairman of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland (全國台灣同胞投資企業聯誼會), and Yeh Hui-te (葉惠德), the association’s executive vice chairman, after the two called for immediate ratification of the cross-strait service trade pact in a press conference in Taipei yesterday morning.

Lu says age no barrier to mayoral ambitions

EXPERIENCE:Attention has been focused on Annette Lu’s age since she expressed an interest in running in the DPP’s primary for its Taipei mayoral candidate
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Age is not an issue in next year’s Taipei mayoral election because experience comes with age, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), who is eyeing the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) nomination in the election, said in an interview yesterday.

“Former US president Ronald Reagan, the oldest man elected as [US] president at 69 years old in 1981, has been one of the most popular US presidents, while the incumbent [US President] Barack Obama has not performed exceptionally well,” Lu, 69, said during a radio interview.

Majority favor cross-strait exchanges

BAD TIDINGS:A poll also revealed that the president’s approval rating is a paltry 14.3 percent, while the premier’s disapproval rating has reached its highest level yet
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The majority of Taiwanese favor increased cross-strait exchanges, but appear to be very cautious about a peace agreement between Taiwan and China, the results of a public opinion poll released yesterday showed.

Asked if they support the signing of a bilateral peace agreement, with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) pledging “10 guarantees” in 2011, almost 70 percent of the respondents in a poll conducted by Taiwan Indicators Survey Research (TISR) said negotiations for such an accord should not begin before receiving authorization from a national referendum.

Taiwanese prefer independence over unification: survey

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Given the option independence or unification with China, a majority of Taiwanese prefer independence over unification, an opinion poll released yesterday showed.

Asked about their position on cross-strait relations, 66 percent of respondents supported the “status quo,” 24 percent wanted independence and 7 percent supported unification with China, according to the survey conducted by cable news channel TVBS between Thursday last week and Monday.

Lee Chin-yung wins DPP’s Yunlin primary

MORE PRIMARIES SET:An opinion poll will be conducted tonight for the Pingtung County commissioner race and one will be conducted on Nov. 18 in Nantou County
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Keelung mayor Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) will be the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) nominee for the Yunlin County commissioner election next year after Lee won the party primary yesterday.

Lee beat two other contenders in a public opinion poll conducted on Tuesday by three survey companies, earning a support rate of 29.96 percent, DPP Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) told a press conference.

Lien Hui-hsin probed by prosecutors

HOT WATER:Former vice president Lien Chan’s daughter could face up to two years in jail for violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act if she is Geneherb’s chief executive
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Lien Hui-hsin (連惠心), daughter of former vice president Lien Chan (連戰), was listed as a defendant yesterday for her role in a case involving her investment in a nutrition supplement company whose weight-loss pills were found to contain unauthorized drugs.

Previously listed as a witness, Lien Hui-hsin was subpoenaed yesterday evening as a defendant by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office after days of speculation about her role at Geneherbs Biotechnology Co (菁茵荋生物科技), whose weight-loss product Wellslim Plus+ was confirmed to contain banned substance, cetilistat, a lipase inhibitor designed to treat obesity.

Lawmakers slam lack of cover for NSC temp workers

SWEATSHOP?Only Fu Jen University and the National Defense Medical Center provide insurance coverage for most part-time staff, legislators said
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Only 2 percent of the more than 80,000 temporary assistants taking part in National Science Council (NSC) research projects in collaboration with universities nationwide are covered by the labor insurance and national health insurance (NHI) programs, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers said yesterday.

“University campuses should not be sweatshops and these workers should not be orphans excluded from the social security net,” DPP legislators Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) and Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) told a press conference, urging the Ministry of Education to warn universities not to violate the law, and the Council of Labor Affairs to immediately carry out inspections and fine offenders.

Nuclear waste deals signed with China, legislator says

UNPUBLISHED:The KMT legislator alleged that former president Chen Shui-bian signed deals on the handling of Taiwan’s nuclear waste in China
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) and former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) both instructed the signing of unpublished agreements with China regarding the storage of Taiwan’s nuclear waste in Gansu Province in China, a lawmaker said yesterday in a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan.

Siew, who was premier from 1997 to 2000 and later served as vice president, asked Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) to sign a nuclear waste storage deal with Beijing when he was premier, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) said yesterday.

Tsai Ing-wen to remain neutral in DPP primaries

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that she will take a neutral position in the upcoming party primaries for the seven-in-one elections next year amid controversy after one candidate claimed to be endorsed by her.

Tsai said in a press release yesterday that she gave her blessings to all aspirants in the primaries and would try to assist them all, but would stay neutral during the primary process.

Legislative Yuan passes New Zealand trade pact

BUILDING BLOCKS:The DPP said the trade agreement is beneficial to both nations, and urged the government to continue pursuing similar pacts with other trade partners
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A free-trade agreement (FTA) between Taiwan and New Zealand was passed by the Legislative Yuan yesterday, the first FTA Taiwan has signed with a non-diplomatic ally.

Lawmakers across party lines lauded the bilateral economic cooperation agreement, the first FTA with a country other than China that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration has signed since 2008, saying that it was a step forward in Taiwan’s participation in regional economic integration.

Lien defends daughter’s investment

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIO:Lien Chan said he did not want any ‘improper influence’ in the probe of Geneherbs’ diet pills and that he had full confidence in his daughter
By Mo Yan-chih and Chris Wang  /  Staff reporters

Former vice president Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday defended his daughter Lien Hui-hsin’s (連惠心) investment in a nutrition supplement company whose weight-loss pills were found to contain unauthorized drugs, and said there may be political influence behind the investigation into the company.

Lien Hui-hsin on Sunday admitted she had invested in Geneherbs Biotechnology Co (菁茵荋生物科技). She had previously denied any involvement in the management of the firm.

Lawmakers blast NSC, GMP issuer

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday accused the National Science Council (NSC) of concealing information relating to the adulteration of edible oil for two years, and a non-profit company of malfeasance for issuing good manufacturing practice (GMP) certificates to the two companies at the center of the scandal — Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory Co (大統長基) and Flavor Full Food Inc (富味鄉).

A research project on sesame oil products sponsored by the council in 2011 found that four of the seven products on the market contained between 31 percent and 44 percent soybean oil, but the council did not disclose the full project report and has refused to provide details, DPP Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) told a news conference.

Opposition slams KMT-CCP suggestions

‘IMMEDIATE DANGER’:The DPP and TSU criticized the forum’s recommendation to push for the trade service pact’s ratification, despite the lack of public support for it
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The pan-green camp yesterday criticized the 19-point recommendation reached by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Sunday, saying it showed contempt for the legislature and the mainstream opinions of the 23 million Taiwanese.

The recommendation, reached and announced at the ninth KMT-CCP forum that was concluded on Sunday in Nanning, China, listed the implementation of the cross-strait service trade agreement as a top priority.

EDITORIAL: Wanted: Taiwan’s ‘Naoki Hanzawa’

Tue, Oct 29, 2013 - Page 8

Taiwanese audiences have been fascinated by the Japanese television drama Naoki Hanzawa, which depicts how a framed office worker takes revenge on his vicious supervisor, seemingly reflecting many people’s attitude toward upper management.

Naoki Hanzawa is a banker who is asked by his branch manager to be accountable for an unsecured loan of ￥500 million (US$5 million).

Facing the risk of being transferred and dismissed, Hanzawa does what he can to recover the loan, as well as hunt down evidence of the manager’s misconduct to prove his innocence.

Back up Diaoyutai claims: experts

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan needs to find “critical dates” recognized by the international laws to better assert its claim of sovereignty over the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) and to counter Japan’s claim, academics and researchers said yesterday at a forum.

“Substantial jurisdiction will prevail against the mere citing of historical maps and records that are hard to track and confirm. In that sense, without a doubt Japan holds legitimacy over its claim of the Senkaku Islands under international law,” said Wang Hoon-ting (王雲程), a researcher of Taiwan’s international status.

Quickly ratify service pact, former KMT officials urge

‘SECOND CUBA’:：Former SEF chairman Chiang Pin-kung said the nation could lose ground to South Korea as it pursues an FTA with China, risking economic isolation
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Oct 28, 2013 - Page 3

Taiwan will have to speed up the ratification process of the cross-strait service trade agreement and negotiations for a trade in goods pact with Beijing in the wake of aggressive talks between South Korea and China for a free-trade agreement (FTA), former government officials from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration said yesterday.

“South Korea would be ecstatic to see a prolonged stall of the service trade pact in the Legislative Yuan and a signing of the South Korea-China FTA before the cross-strait trade liberalization is completed,” former Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) told a press conference.

Retrocession Day marks era of suffering

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Far from inspiring respect, Retrocession Day triggers entirely different feelings among Taiwanese and Aborigines despite the government’s promotion of the event for more than 60 years, advocates said yesterday.

The national memorial day in commemoration of Taiwan’s “return to the motherland” is a part of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) propaganda and a distortion of history, former Academia Historica president Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲) said.

Lee Teng-hui concludes round-the-nation journey

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday concluded his round-the-nation trip with a final stop in Yilan County, saying that his final wish was to visit Yushan (玉山), the highest mountain in Taiwan.

“I’ve asked my doctor about [visiting Yushan] and was told that such trip would not be recommended due to my health condition. I’m hoping that my ashes can be scattered on top of Yushan after I die,” said the 90-year-old in Yilan. “Being buried on Yushan would mean that I would be with Taiwan forever.”

Tibet must be lesson for Taiwan: dissident

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The 10th Panchen Lama was murdered by former Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) and former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶), a prominent Chinese dissident said in Taipei yesterday as he warned that Beijing’s cultural genocide in Tibet could serve an example for those Taiwanese who still have false expectations of China.

Citing the findings from his private interviews with Chinese and Tibetan officials, Yuan Hongbing (袁紅兵) told a press conference that the 10th Panchen Lama, Choekyi Gyaltsen, was poisoned to death in January 1989 rather than dying from a heart attack as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claimed.

Activists file lawsuit against Japanese PM in Yilan

SHINZO ABE SUED:The activists also criticized President Ma Ying-jeou for making concessions in bilateral fishery negotiations with Japan that ‘sacrificed Taiwan’s territory’
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A group of activists filed a lawsuit against Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) at the Yilan District Court yesterday, as well as a lawsuit against a judge at the court for malfeasance and treason.

Led by former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏) and former DPP chairman Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良), dozens of activists accused Abe of “infringement of Taiwan’s fishing rights” following Japan’s nationalization of three of the islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan.

Translation services part of China’s trap: legislator

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The liberalization of translation services across the Taiwan Strait, scheduled to take effect following the ratification of the cross-strait service trade agreement, could be part of Beijing’s “cultural unification” efforts and it would also hurt the sector in Taiwan, a lawmaker said yesterday.

Chinese competitors could leverage their higher capital and lower costs to purchase translation copyrights and squeeze out Taiwanese companies from government tenders once the pact takes effect, Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) told a press conference yesterday.