The TSU's Central Executive Committee, the party's highest decision-making body, yesterday decided to expel TSU Legislator Su Yin-kuei (
The decision to expel Su was made at the end of a three-hour meeting of the committee, which involved extensive discussion as well as a face-to-face debate between Su and Lo, said TSU Legislator Chien Lin Whei-jun (
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Su, a former lawyer, last Thursday accused Lo of involvement in illegal lobbying of judicial and police authorities on behalf of video arcade owners in Kaohsiung City. Lo denied Su's accusations, saying he was innocent of any illegal lobbying.
"After the confrontation [between the two] as well as a party investigation of the evidence provided by Su, the committee concluded that the grounds for Su's charge against Lo were insufficient," said Chien Lin at a press conference held after the committee meeting.
Before the meeting, the TSU legislative caucus yesterday morning had suggested Su's party membership be suspended.
"The committee used such harsh discipline against Su in order to provide justice for Lo," said Chien Lin.
According to Chien Lin, Su had incorporated material in his evidence of Lo's alleged wrongdoing which was designed to mislead.
"The issue addressed in Su's document was about patent cases which Lo had previously handled in response to individuals' requests," said Chien Lin.
"[The documents offered by Su] had nothing to do with the video arcade case that was the basis of his allegations against Lo," she said.
"As a lawyer, Su knew that he could not make such serious accusations without first verifying the available evidence," said Chien Lin, adding that Su had refused to apologize despite the discrepancy between his claims about the documents and their true nature being pointed out to him during the meeting.
Expressing regret over the party's decision to expel Su, TSU Secretary-General Lin Jih-jia (
"It is understandable that ... the party would encounter some unavoidable setbacks in the course of its growth," Lin said. "Su's personal conduct nonetheless has seriously damaged the party's image."
A young party, formed in 2001, and holding only 13 seats in the Legislative Yuan, the TSU is planning on celebrating its second anniversary on Saturday.
Lo expressed his gratitude toward the party for restoring his good name and reputation.
"I appreciate the effort the party authorities took in defending my innocence. Nevertheless it is regrettable that Su has been expelled from the party," Lo said at a news conference yesterday afternoon.
Saying that Su was an outstanding lawyer and had been a fine comrade, Lo said he hoped society as a whole would give Su an opportunity to continue to serve it.
While Su was unavailable for immediate comments after the party's decision to expel him, he had said prior to the committee meeting yesterday: "I care only for the truth and not whether the party will expel me or not."
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
CONCESSION: A Shin Kong official said that the firm was ‘willing to contribute’ to the nation, as the move would enable Nvidia Crop to build its headquarters in Taiwan Shin Kong Life Insurance Co (新光人壽) yesterday said it would relinquish land-use rights, or known as surface rights, for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), paving the way for Nvidia Corp to expand its office footprint in Taiwan. The insurer said it made the decision “in the interest of the nation’s greater good” and would not seek compensation from taxpayers for potential future losses, calling the move a gesture to resolve a months-long impasse among the insurer, the Taipei City Government and the US chip giant. “The decision was made on the condition that the Taipei City Government reimburses the related
FRESH LOOK: A committee would gather expert and public input on the themes and visual motifs that would appear on the notes, the central bank governor said The central bank has launched a comprehensive redesign of New Taiwan dollar banknotes to enhance anti-counterfeiting measures, improve accessibility and align the bills with global sustainability standards, Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) told a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday. The overhaul would affect all five denominations — NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000 notes — but not coins, Yang said. It would be the first major update to the banknotes in 24 years, as the current series, introduced in 2001, has remained in circulation amid rapid advances in printing technology and security standards. “Updating the notes is essential to safeguard the integrity
RSS