Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (
"In foreign countries, there has never before been a case of an impeachment of a president because of his policies," Lee said during an interview with local TV station TVBS. Lee urged the new government to stay the course.
"This is the first-ever transfer of power [in Taiwan]. Many aspects of the administration have not been on the right track. However, a lot of people are obsessed with a `soap opera culture' and would like to toss out the new government," Lee said, implying that the KMT's move to recall the president was illegitimate.
Lee, echoing the government's anti-nuclear stance, said that discontinuing the construction of the plant would not result in any shortage of electricity within seven years and that all nuclear power plants should be gradually eliminated.
However. not all members of the KMT are wholly enthusiastic about the recall effort.
Former KMT spokesman Huang Hwei-chien (黃輝珍), who has close ties with former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), yesterday said that the petition initiated by KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) was inappropriate.
"The recall vote will be a sign showing the immaturity of the democratic development in Taiwan." Huang said, adding that the outcome of the recall vote would trigger a round of political disasters that would be beyond imagination.
Speaker of the Legislative Yuan Wang Jin-pyng (
The party's spokesman, Jason Hu (
"Our stance hasn't been softened. We will put the petition into action based on public opinion," Hu said yesterday.
Meanwhile, the KMT's legislative caucus plans to propose amendments to the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Law (
The ruling DPP plans to draft its own terms for the law at today's legislative session to safeguard Chen's rights.
"We will argue that the newly elected president and vice president should not be recalled during the first year of their terms since even heads of local governments and elected civil officials are also immune from such action within their first year," DPP Legislator Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏) said yesterday.
DPP legislative whip Hsu Tain-tsair (
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
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Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique