Representatives of President Chen Shui-bian (
Presidential Office Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), who represented Chen, rejected the pan-blue camp's proposal that the task force be established by means of a presidential emergency decree.
PHOTO: CNA
The negotiators agreed to consider the possibility of a special law being passed by the Legislative Yuan that would give the task force the legal power to investigate. Chiou said he would convey the idea to Chen for consideration.
The goal of yesterday's meeting at the Grand Formosa Regent Hotel in Taipei was to hammer out the terms of a planned meeting between Chen, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Chen defeated the joint Lien-Soong presidential ticket in the March 20 election by a margin of less than 30,000 votes. Lien refused to concede defeat, and has made claims about voting irregularities, although he has not been able to produce proof. He has also raised questions about the attack on Chen on the eve of the election, saying that the launch of the national security mechanism following the shooting had prevented a large number of military personnel from voting.
Lien and Soong requested a meeting with Chen to discuss their demands for an immediate ballot recount, the establishment of the task force to investigate the assassination attempt, and a probe into the activation of the national security mechanism after the shooting. Chen on Saturday night agreed to a meeting with them without any precondition.
At yesterday's meeting, Lien was represented by KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正). PFP Secretary-General Tsai Chung-hsiung (蔡鐘雄) represented Soong.
The meeting, which lasted about an hour, started off with both sides locking horns over what position Chen would hold at a meeting with Lien and Soong.
Lin and Tsai stressed that the alliance's appeals revolved around Chen and Lien as presidential candidates. They insisted that Chen should meet Lien and Soong in his capacity as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman and presidential candidate.
Chiou held firm that Chen would have to meet Lien and Soong in his capacity as president, because he was the only one who could represent the government in addressing the alliance's appeals.
Failing to reach agreement on this matter, both parties resolved to stick to their own interpretation of Chen's capacity and moved on to negotiations about pan-blue camp's appeals.
There was no disagreement about the demand to have an immediate recount. Chiou reiterated Chen's willingness to carry out a judicial recount and that he would accept the result whether or not it is in his favor.
Chiou also repeated that Chen welcomes any expert recommended by the pan-blue alliance as part of the task force investigating the assassination, but said it would be inappropriate to assemble the task force by declaring a state of emergency.
Nonetheless, he said, Chen would agree to an emergency decree if there were a legal reason for doing so.
In response to the pan-blues' demand for the creation of a commission to determine whether the activation of the national security mechanism had resulted in a large number of military personnel being unable to vote, Chiou said that such a commission could be formed under the authority of the Legislative Yuan.
Tsai said that a legislative commission of inquiry would only have the authority to request documents from relevant agencies, and would be unable to question individuals.
Chiou in response said that the Legislative Yuan could pass a special law that would enable the creation of a task force to investigate the assassination attempt as well as a commission of inquiry into the national security mechanism.
The negotiators did not discuss a date or location for the meeting between Chen, Lien and Soong.
The Central Election Commission is expected to present a certificate to the Presidential Office today confirming Chen's status as president-elect.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source