DPP introduces its new officials at press conference

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday introduced its new officials appointed by DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), including a pair of female directors said to excel at social advocacy, but who have no experience in politics.

DPP Deputy Secretary-General Liao Chin-kuei (廖錦桂) and Department of Women’s Development director Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) were introduced by DPP Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) at a press conference after the first meeting of party officials under Tsai, who succeeded Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) as party chairperson on Wednesday.

Majority view cross-strait ties as ‘state-to-state’: poll

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The majority of respondents in a survey on cross-strait affairs view the relationship as “state-to-state” and do not support unification in the future, a poll released by Taiwan Indicators Survey Research (TISR) yesterday showed.

Asked whether the relationship between Taiwan and China is “state-to-state,” 59.7 percent gave a positive response, up from 56.2 percent in a similar survey conducted by TISR in April last year, with 25 percent saying “no” and 15.3 percent declining to answer.

Tsai urged to take action on A-bian

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has been urged to take “substantial action” to help imprisoned former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) leave prison and be put under house arrest due to his deteriorating health.

“Suffering from at least four major syndromes, Chen’s health condition is now in an alarming state, which is why Taichung Veterans General Hospital recommended he be put under home care,” Taipei Veterans General Hospital physician Kuo Cheng-deng (郭正典) said.

DPP’s Tsai vows to make changes

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Thu, May 29, 2014 - Page 3

Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday officially assumed the chair of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), vowing to succeed in November’s seven-in-one elections and change the party by promoting an internal “generational shift” and “reconnecting” it with society.

“It is time for action — it is time to roll up the sleeves and go to work. We won’t be able to change the country unless we make changes to our party first,” Tsai said at the handover ceremony in Taipei at which she took the helm of the party from her predecessor, Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).

EDITORIAL: Tsai gets a second chance

Tue, May 27, 2014 - Page 8

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai ing-wen (蔡英文) was again elected as chairperson on Sunday in a prelude to a two-year period that could determine the future for Tsai, the DPP and the country.

As Tsai prepares to take the helm tomorrow following her two previous terms between 2008 and 2012, supporters and observers will watch closely what she does, hoping that this time the 57-year-old can not only revive the DPP, but also win the presidency in 2016.

New group to highlight nation’s missing history

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The more than 3,000 Taiwanese who died in the Allied forces’ raid on Taipei at the end of the World War II are to be commemorated on Saturday in front of the Presidential Office Building by a new pro-independence group.

Established in February, Jiawu Regime Change (甲午變天) group lists its position as “anti-China and anti-President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)” and its mission as advocating a new constitution, a new country and Taiwan’s bid for a UN seat.

TSU to vote against NCC nominees

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday that its three lawmakers are to vote against the two nominees who did not oppose the use of Chinese-made telecom equipment in the nation’s new fourth-generation (4G) communication network.

The TSU caucus says it will not endorse Tu Jenn-hwa (杜震華) and Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) for nominees in National Communications Commission (NCC) review today in the legislature.

The two refused to pledge their opposition to telecom equ

Pan-green camp Taipei hopefuls to vie in debates

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taipei mayoral hopefuls Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) and independent Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are to participate in three debates to help determine the final pan-green candidate on June 12.

DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) — convener of a task force responsible for the selection of the final pan-green camp candidate — yesterday said that after a two-hour negotiation, both camps agreed to hold the events in the eight days starting on Saturday.

Nation needs proportional representation: DPP’s Tsai

‘DISCONNECT’:：Tsai said that ensuring the legislature better reflects public opinion was more important than changing the presidential system, but some disagreed
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Tue, May 27, 2014 - Page 1

The moment for constitutional refrom in Taiwan has arrived, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday as she called for reform of the Legislative Yuan structure before changing the constitutional system, with better representation across the country that would benefit smaller political parties.

Tsai, who was elected DPP chairperson on Sunday, made public her views on constitutional reform in an articles published yesterday by the Chinese-language Apple Daily — the first time she has made clear her position on the issue.

Ma bids to repress national identity as policy fails: TSU

TROJAN POLICY:The party said Ma’s push to set up free economic zones and pass the service trade pact was an attempt to bring as many Chinese to Taiwan as possible
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The recent defection of a scientist to China and the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) bid to push through legislation on the free economic pilot zones reflect both the failure of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) pro-China policy and his attempt to neutralize a strengthening Taiwanese national identity, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday.

“Ma has realized that the rise of a Taiwanese identity would be the biggest roadblock on the path to eventual unification with China, which is why he wants to bring as many Chinese into the country as possible through the establishment of zones and passage of the cross-strait service trade agreement,” TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) told supporters in Greater Taichung.

Tsai Ing-wen elected as DPP chair

LANDSLIDE:Her only opponent, former Kaohsiung county deputy commissioner Kuo Tai-lin, offered his concession to the party before results were released
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) won election as chairperson again yesterday by a landslide, taking a symbolic step forward in her quest to run for president in 2016.

Tsai defeated former Kaohsiung county deputy commissioner Kuo Tai-lin (郭泰麟) by 85,410 (93.71 percent) votes to 5,734 (6.29 percent), DPP spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said at a press conference yesterday evening, hours after the poll closed.

DPP launch appeal for Wu Nai-jen in Taisugar bribe case

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A trio of senior Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians yesterday launched an appeal for former DPP secretary-general Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁), who was scheduled to begin his nine-month prison term on Monday in a breach of trust case, calling the verdict an “apparent mistrial.”

Wu was accused of giving in, as Taiwan Sugar Corp (Taisugar) chairman in 2003, to former DPP legislator Hong Chi-chang’s (洪奇昌) lobbying for Chun Lung Co, a property developer, to ensure that it won the right to purchase a plot of land in Greater Taichung’s Wufeng District (霧峰) that it was renting from Taisugar.

Cross-strait initiative denies name report

‘OUR APPEAL’:：The cross-party group said the name of their initiative would not include ‘one China’ or ‘one country,’ and that it is similar in concept to ‘nations of brotherhood’
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Sat, May 24, 2014 - Page 3

A group of politicians and academics are scheduled to unveil their proposition for a new framework for cross-strait relations on Tuesday, and yesterday denied that the official name of the initiative would contain sensitive terms such as “one China” or “one country.”

The seven-member group across party lines included former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-te (施明德), former Mainland Affairs Council minister Chen Ming-tung (陳明通) under the former DPP administration and former National Security Council secretary-general Su Chi (蘇起), who served under President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration, according to a report published yesterday by Storm Media, an online news Web site.

Lawmaker says CTBA’s decision on school unfair

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) has unfairly punished Chung Cheng Elementary School in Greater Kaohsiung over a scandal about “ineligible” transfer students playing, a lawmaker representing the city said yesterday.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) told a press conference that Chung Cheng’s use of a transfer student surnamed Wen (溫) in official competitions was a different case than other schools because Chung Cheng did not recruit Wen for his athletic ability.

Chu appears uninterested in re-election: Yu

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) “does not look like he is ready and willing” to run for re-election, former premier Yu Shyi-kun, the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate in the New Taipei City mayoral election, said yesterday on the sidelines of the DPP’s weekly Central Standing Committee meeting.

“Judging from what I’ve seen and heard on the campaign trail, I would say that the chances of Chu declaring a re-election bid are getting slimmer and slimmer,” Yu said.

Su promotes reforming government system

REBALANCING:The DPP head said it is time to revisit the questions of a presidential or parliamentary system of government as well as boosting the number of lawmakers
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said he supported a constitutional amendment that does not touch upon the nation’s status and a switch from the current semi-presidential system to a parliamentary one.

Constitutional reform has been a long-term goal of the DPP and the issue has resurfaced after recent anti-government protests.

EDITORIAL: Exploiting the name of Taiwan

Tue, May 20, 2014 - Page 8

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been at the center of attention and criticism for the creation of 20,000 stickers with the slogan: “I am Taiwanese. I am from Taiwan” in Vietnamese and English, which it sent to Vietnam, hoping it would help anti-China protesters distinguish Taiwanese from Chinese.

The property of hundreds of Taiwanese businesses and the lives of thousands of Taiwanese were at risk after the protests broke out in southern Vietnam last week which later devolved into riots against foreign companies and factories, in particular those from Taiwan because, according to the ministry, Vietnamese had trouble differentiating Taiwanese from Chinese.

DPP cautious on parliament model, but debate needed

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Friday outlined seven key areas that the party is proposing for constitutional reform.

The DPP also said that the replacement of the nation’s current semi-presidential system with a parliamentary system merited debate, because more Taiwanese support the model, the party said, but it cautioned that this would be a complicated and ambitious initiative.

Hung Chi-kune says he will not cease fighting

NOT GIVING UP:The Democratic Progressive Party Central Executive Committee member says that he will not go to prison because of the vice president
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Central Executive Committee member Hung Chi-kune (洪智坤) yesterday said that he would not stop his struggle against Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) even after being sentenced to three months in prison in a defamation lawsuit related to a bribery scandal in 2012.

The Taiwan High Court Kaohsiung Branch yesterday sentenced Hung to three months in prison, which could be commuted to a fine of NT$90,000, over Hung’s defamation of former China Steel Corp (CSC, 中鋼) chairman Tsou Juo-chi (鄒若齊) in his comments about the bribery scandal which involved Wu and former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世).

Tsai defends idea of dual party role

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) defended the possible scenario of her dual role as the party’s presidential candidate and chairman yesterday, saying that “extraordinary measures are necessary in an extraordinary time.”

“Every DPP chairperson has played a different role. For now, a strong and powerful opposition party is needed to steer the country back on the right track. I would say that a tough, determined and powerful leader of the DPP is necessary as well,” Tsai said in a televised debate organized for the DPP chairman election.

Sunflower leaders to form new activist organization

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Sunflower movement leaders Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) and Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷) yesterday announced the establishment of a new social activist group, Taiwan March (島國前進), saying the group would focus on the “unfinished business” of the three-week-long movement’s goal of promoting “direct democracy.”

“It seemed to us that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] have not learned a thing [from the Sunflower movement] and they still refuse to listen to the public,” Chen told a press conference.

‘Win or go home’: Ko Wen-je

SIMILAR STANCES:The aspirant for the Taipei mayoral election said that he shared a similar set of policies with the DPP candidate, including his position on nuclear power
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), an independent aspirant for the Taipei mayoral election, yesterday said that it would be “win or go home” for him in a primary between Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) contender Pasuya Yao (姚文智) and independents, saying that if he lost in the poll he would withdraw from the race.

Ko made the comment after Yao on Wednesday won the DPP poll, the first part of a two-stage mechanism that the DPP adopted to finalize a pan-green candidate among non-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) contenders, setting the stage for the second-phase primary.

Taipei to ask Hanoi for riot reparations

DAMAGE CONTROL:：The government aims to use bilateral pacts to find a legal basis to seek indemnity for damages to Taiwanese citizens or property in the Vietnam riots
By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Chris Wang  /  Staff reporters, with CNA
Fri, May 16, 2014 - Page 1

Taiwan is looking to cooperate with other countries affected by the recent anti-China protests in Vietnam to solicit compensation for the damage caused to foreign factories during the unrest sparked by Hanoi’s territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said yesterday.

Lin told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee that the ministry is studying two agreements signed between Taiwan and Vietnam on judicial assistance and investment protection to find a legal basis for compensation claims.

AIT letter proves Ma renounced green card: government

TAXING PROBLEM:：DPP officials said that although the letter did show that Ma lost his resident status, it proved that he lied about an issue that has plagued him for years
By Shih Hsiu-chuan  /  Staff reporter
Fri, May 16, 2014 - Page 1

The Presidential Office yesterday displayed a letter from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) that it said proved President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) voided his status as a permanent US resident by renouncing his “green card,” but critics pointed out that the statement was inconsistent with Ma’s previous claims that since his green card had “expired, it was invalidated automatically.”

Presidential Office spokesperson Lee Chia-fei (李佳霏) called a news conference yesterday to show the letter from Joseph Donovan, managing director of the AIT’s Washington office, addressed to Taiwanese Representative to the US Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) and dated May 14.

MOFA condemns protests against China in Vietnam

RIOT ACT:The foreign ministry urged Hanoi to protect Taiwanese there after protests over China’s territorial spat with Vietnam devolved into a rampage on foreign factories
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The government yesterday condemned the violent anti-China protests in Vietnam over Hanoi’s ongoing territorial dispute with Beijing, demanding that the Vietnamese government get the situation under control after the factories and offices of Taiwanese businesses in the country’s southeast were damaged during what it called “acts of rioting” by the protesters.

Speaking at a hastily convened press conference yesterday morning, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) was still trying to gather information on the factories damaged in the unrest in Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces that ensued after an anti-Chinese protest devolved into a violent attack against foreign businesses on Tuesday afternoon.

Ma has been lying about ‘green card’: opposition

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The opposition yesterday blasted President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) reported holding of US permanent residence status, saying that Ma has been lying about the issue and should step down over what it described as his lack of integrity.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) both said Ma has lost his legitimacy to govern after being found to be evading taxes as a holder of US permanent residence status, which was reported by the Chinese-language Next Magazine yesterday.

Pasuya Yao wins DPP’s first-stage Taipei primary

ONE FOR THE ‘UNDERDOG’:Yao will face Ko Wen-je, and maybe Neil Peng in the second round, and said that the election would pit the privileged against ordinary citizens
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) has won the party’s first-stage primary for the Taipei mayoral election and will enter the second stage, in which he and independent hopefuls will compete for the final candidacy of the pan-green camp, the DPP said yesterday.

DPP Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) at a press conference yesterday morning announced Yao’s victory in a public opinion poll conducted by three institutions on Tuesday night, but did not release the poll results, citing a pre-survey agreement among the three contenders.

KMT draws fresh fire over service trade pact review

TENSE SITUATION:The KMT legislator chairing a meeting on a probe into the trade pact abruptly called the meeting to a halt, which the DDP labeled as ‘rude’
By Loa Iok-sin  /  Staff reporter

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chang Ching-chung (張慶忠) yesterday triggered fresh controversy by passing a KMT proposal at a legislative committee meeting he was chairing to probe the signing of the cross-strait service trade agreement and abruptly calling the session to an end while Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) was still speaking at the podium.

Amid the ongoing disputes over the trade pact and the government’s handling of it, a commission was created under the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee to investigate the criticisms and concerns voiced about the cross-strait negotiations that led to the deal’s signing.

Ma recruits from his ‘inner circle’ yet again: critics

‘MA’S INBREEDING’The new Presidential Office spokesman’s wife was reportedly hired for Ma’s office before the post was publicly advertised
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A media report that the Executive Yuan is about to hire the wife of new presidential spokesperson Yin Wei (殷瑋) drew criticism yesterday.

The report comes amid a series of government hirings, which the opposition describes as “political rewards” for people in President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) “inner circle.”

Airport ‘central park’ idea defended

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei mayoral hopeful yesterday called a press conference to defend his “Central Park” proposal in what appeared to be a last dash to the primary’s finishing line tonight.

A public opinion survey is to be conducted tonight to conclude the DPP’s primary.

DPP Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) had proposed turning Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) into a 400-hectare grand park area to serve as the “green lungs” of the city.

Sunflower lessons go wanting: groups

PUSHING BOUNDARIES:：Civic groups said the KMT amendment to tighten petitioner requirements was against the Constitutional right to election and recall
By Loa Iok-sin and Chris Wang  /  Staff reporters
Tue, May 13, 2014 - Page 3

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposal to tighten rules for recalling legislators may face strong resistance from the public, civic groups said yesterday.

“On March 18, hundreds of people broke into the Legislative Yuan complex and took control of the legislative floor for nearly a month because we believed that our representative democracy is not working properly,” said Chen Wei-chen (陳韋辰), a member of the Black Island Nation Youth Front (黑色島國青年聯盟), one of the central groups that took part in the Sunflower movement.

EDITORIAL: Struggles with Ma require care

Tue, May 13, 2014 - Page 8

Perhaps no one grabbed attention last week than Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀), whose alleged inappropriate behavior at the funeral of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) mother has been all over the print media and 24-hour television news channels.

The inexperienced first-term lawmaker from Yilan County, allegedly attended Chin Hou-hsiu’s (秦厚修) funeral on May 5 uninvited and instructed Presidential Office officials to “make better arrangements” to accommodate those who wanted to pay tribute to the deceased.

DPP hopefuls defend primary method

PAN-GREEN INTEGRATION:Independent Ko Wen-je said he would seek consensus among social groups, while Pasuya Yao and Wellington Koo said they were favorites
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Aspirants in the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) primary for the Taipei mayoral election campaigned hard over the Mother’s Day weekend ahead of tomorrow’s primary poll and played down the significance of former vice president Annette Lu’s (呂秀蓮) decision to withdraw from the race, as well as her criticism of the primary mechanism that she said has destroyed the DPP’s “integrity and discipline.”

Lu announced her withdrawal on Saturday, leaving tomorrow’s poll a three-way race between lawyer Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and two DPP legislators, Pasuya Yao (姚文智) and Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財).

Ire grows over Control Yuan nominees

WORRIED ABOUT WATCHDOG:Pundit Clara Chou made strong comments in a Web column, while the DPP said the nominations were ‘horrible’ and seemed to be rewards
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) nomination of Control Yuan members on Thursday drew more negative reaction from the opposition and other critics yesterday, with one pundit saying that Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) had been involved in the “politically motivated” nomination process.

Wang Mei-yu (王美玉), former president of the Chinese-language China Times, made the list of 29 nominees because of Wu, who could have a personal reason for his endorsement, radio host Clara Chou (周玉蔻) wrote in her column published yesterday on my-formosa.com, an online news Web site.

DPP caucus penalizes Chen Ou-po

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday penalized Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) over his behavior at the funeral of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) mother by suspending his right to participate in caucus activities for six months.

Chen will not be able to take part in any caucus activities, including being elected as a caucus official or as a convener for any legislative committee.

DPP voices concern over pre-June 4 clampdown in PRC

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday expressed concern over Beijing’s detention and conviction of several dissidents before the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

“Liberty, democracy and human rights are universal values that know no borders... The people of Taiwan will be watching [Beijing],” Honigmann Hong (洪財隆), director of the DPP’s Department of China Affairs, said in a press release.

DPP plans public opinion poll for mayoral hopefuls

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A public opinion poll on four Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) contenders in the Taipei mayoral election is to be held on Tuesday as the first stage of the party’s primary, before the winner moves on to the second stage to compete with independent aspirants for the final nomination, the DPP said yesterday.

The results of the survey are expected to be announced on Wednesday, to determine the winner among former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), lawyer Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and a pair of lawmakers — Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) and Pasuya Yao (姚文智) — party spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said after a meeting between the four campaigns yesterday.

DPP legislator says sorry for crashing Ma’s mom’s funeral

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) yesterday apologized to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his family for showing up at the funeral of Ma’s mother, Chin Hou-hsiu (秦厚修), on Monday.

“If my appearance at the funeral caused displeasure to and was a disturbance for the Ma family, I would like to offer my sincere apologies to them and accept the public’s criticism of my behavior,” Chen said at the Legislative Yuan.

Taipei police ‘violating’ press freedom

EXCESSIVE FORCE:Media representatives said Taipei police are ignoring the Constitution by impeding the media’s right to report during anti-government protests
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Representatives from media worker groups and academics yesterday accused the Taipei City Police Department of using excessive force against reporters in recent protests and trying to evade public scrutiny of what they described as police’s infringement of freedom of the press.

The violent eviction of reporters on March 24, when thousands of protesters occupied the Executive Yuan compound, and on April 28, during an overnight antinuclear sit-in on Zhongxiao W Road, violated the media’s right to report, the representatives told a press conference.

Nominations to head yuans are ‘political rewards’: DPP

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) nominations for Control Yuan president and Examination Yuan president were “political rewards” and solid evidence that the two government branches have become the most valueless organs in the nation’s constitutional system, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.

Ma has nominated Central Election Commission Chairperson Chang Po-ya (張博雅) as president of the Control Yuan, while Examination Yuan Vice President Wu Jin-lin (伍錦霖) was nominated as its president.

English Web site on Taiwan to tap global audience

THOUGHT-PROVOKING:With foreign correspondents exiting the country, Tsai Ing-wen has created an English Web site to write about the Taiwan issues that matter
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday announced the official launch of an English-language opinion and analysis Web site about Taiwan with the aim of sharing perspectives on a wide range of issues.

The Web site, Thinking Taiwan, intends to show diverse perspectives on various issues — beyond political and economic issues that usually dominate international headlines about Taiwan — to an international audience, Tsai said during the site’s launch ceremony.

History textbook sparks hullabaloo

‘ADULTERATED’ HISTORY:：The textbook, published by a pro-unification advocate, says independence movements risk plunging the country into ‘a deranged state’
By Alison Hsiao  /  Staff reporter
Wed, May 07, 2014 - Page 1

A history textbook to be used in senior-high schools next semester has sparked controversy among teachers and the public, who say its content constitutes “brainwashing,” as it is written with a “China-oriented perspective of history.”

Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧) responded that each textbook’s “expression” should be respected.

EDITORIAL: Sunday’s rallies missed the point

Tue, May 06, 2014 - Page 8

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the New Party held separate rallies on Sunday with similar themes, the former calling for social stability and support for the police and the latter championing the rule of law.

Organizers and participants argued that the protests of the past months, including the Sunflower movement, the various “occupation” and “passing-by” campaigns targeting different government agencies and the Legislative Yuan siege, were illegal and lacked respect for the rule of law.

DPP reprimands Legislator Chen Ou-po over outburst at Ma family funeral

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday condemned what it called DPP Legislator Chen Ou-po’s (陳歐珀) “inappropriate behavior” at the funeral of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) mother, Chin hou-hsiu (秦厚修), saying that Chen would be referred to the DPP legislative caucus for discipline.

The DPP issued a statement after Chen went to the funeral early yesterday morning uninvited and expressed displeasure at what he said was an inadequate reception at the funeral home, which media described as a “disturbance.”

Sunflowers changed everything: Tsai

FLOWERING YOUTH:：Tsai said the next generation had shown it had come of age and was ready to lead, and had shown China it could not rely on the CCP-KMT platform alone
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Tue, May 06, 2014 - Page 3

The three-week-long Sunflower movement has changed both the way the Taiwanese look at domestic politics and China’s approach if it wants to engage the people of this nation in the future, former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told an interviewer yesterday.

“[The Sunflower movement] was the first time that a social movement with such a scale of mass participation was able to generate so much energy without serious physical confrontations and violence — except for the government’s bloody crackdown against the protesters at the Executive Yuan,” Tsai said in an interview with TV host Cheng Hung-yi (鄭鴻儀), which aired last night.

Ko calls on government to let ailing A-bian ‘go home’

WARNING:Ko Wen-je, who is on Chen Shui-bian’s medical team, said the ex-president’s poor health may only improve if he is taken from jail and put under house arrest instead
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

National Taiwan University Hospital physician Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), a member of former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) private medical team, on Saturday called on the government to “let Chen go home,” saying that the incarcerated Chen’s condition is deteriorating.

Ko, who plans to run as an independent in the upcoming Taipei mayoral election, issued the call at an event organized by the Ketagalan Foundation, which was founded by Chen.

DPP’s Lin leading Hu in Taichung race: poll

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has a comfortable lead over Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in the race for the municipality’s mayorship, a public opinion poll released yesterday showed.

The survey was conducted by the Chinese-language Apple Daily and found that Lin had a support rate of 51.4 percent, while Hu, who is seeking re-election in November, had 33.9 percent and 14.7 percent of the respondents were undecided.

DPP set to name Cheng Wen-tsan as its candidate in Taoyuan County poll

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former government information office minister Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) is set to be nominated as the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate for the Taoyuan County commissioner election in November after winning the party’s primary, the DPP said yesterday.

Cheng, 47, defeated former DPP legislators Cheng Pao-ching (鄭寶清) and Peng Shao-chin (彭紹瑾) in a public opinion poll conducted by the party headquarters on Wednesday by a significant margin, DPP Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) told a press conference.

Countersuit filed against Alex Tsai

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A mother and son yesterday filed a lawsuit against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) in Taipei for destruction of property while two lawyers accused him of attempted murder — all stemming from an car accident triggered by a protest outside the Legislative Yuan.

Lin Shu-yen (林淑燕) and her son, Chu Yu-hsuan (朱育玄), filed a lawsuit at Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, accusing Tsai of ramming his car into Lin’s vehicle on Friday last week and fleeing the scene.

Chiayi man questioned over ‘Occupy MRT’ campaign

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taipei police yesterday questioned a man for allegedly organizing an online campaign for an “Occupy the Taipei MRT” protest, amid criticism that the government is resorting to clamping down on “thought crime” to curb freedom of expression.

Police located the man, surnamed Chou, a resident of Chiayi County’s Fanlu Township (番路), through the Internet protocol address he used to post a message about the campaign. They said the campaign is against the law.

Lin ends anti-nuclear hunger strike

‘UNPRECEDENTED STRUGGLE’:：The antinuclear activist thanked all those who backed his fast and opposed a controversial power plant, but said more fights are ahead
By Chris Wang and Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter
Thu, May 01, 2014 - Page 1

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) yesterday afternoon announced the end of his hunger strike against the continued construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and said he was grateful for the “phenomenal antinuclear effort” of Taiwanese over the past two weeks.

Lin said he would continue to fight what he called the injustice of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration.

Police warn against protests on MRT

By Chris Wang and Loa Iok-sin  /  Staff reporters
Thu, May 01, 2014 - Page 1

The Taipei City Police Department and Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC, 台北捷運公司) yesterday warned antinuclear protesters against an “Occupy the Mass Rapid Transit” (MRT) campaign announced on the Internet, saying such a protest would violate the Criminal Code and participants could face up to five years in prison.

The campaign details, which were posted online yesterday, called for 33,000 people boarding MRT trains on the Tamsui Line at the same time to protest against what organizers said was the government’s failure to respond to the public’s demand that the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) be halted.

Hsieh Wei-chou wins Taipei nomination

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

After a fiercely competitive primary, Hsieh Wei-chou (謝維洲), son of former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), yesterday won the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) nomination for the Taipei City Council election in November.

The 31-year-old, who has never run in an election, finished third among six nominees in Taipei’s electoral districts of Shilin (士林) and Beitou (北投), where 10 aspirants ran in the primary.