Despite an order by People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong forbidding party members from attending yesterday's "319 Democracy, Peace and Truth" rally, a sizable number of PFP legislators marched with supporters anyway.
While Soong was nowhere to be seen, at least 10 PFP legislators, including Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋), Lee Yung-ping (李永萍), Sun Ta-chien (孫大千), Lee Ching-hua (李慶華), and Chiu Yi (邱毅) marched yesterday.
Chinese-language media reported that Soong had given orders on Friday that party members and legislators were to avoid yesterday's march. However, the party's legislative caucus countered the media reports during a press conference yesterday morning.
Confirming Soong would be absent, PFP caucus whip Chen Chih-pin (
When asked about Soong's whereabouts yesterday, the PFP said that he was spending the day at home.
While Soong was being low key about yesterday's demonstration, PFP policy department head Chang Hsien-yao (
Alluding to Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Chang said Soong believed that if "someone" had been firmer in supporting the protests, the result might have been different.
While Soong had no hard feelings against Ma, Chang said, he did feel that "it is a little late" for Ma to try to make up for the past.
Soong was originally one of the most vocal critics of the election result. However, Soong's Feb. 24 meeting with President Chen Shui-bian led commentators to speculate on changing relations between the PFP and the administration.
Soong felt that the pan-blue camp's efforts to uncover the details of the assassination attempt were better spent in the legal arena rather than organizing grassroots demonstrations, Chou said.
While KMT heavyweights such as Chairman Lien Chan urged unity within the pan-blue camp yesterday, at least one pan-blue leader was unhappy about Soong's absence.
Urging the pan-blue camp to continue its pursuit of "democracy, peace and truth," New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明) told supporters to "forget about the people who have left and care about those who are united."
South Korea has adjusted its electronic arrival card system to no longer list Taiwan as a part of China, a move that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would help facilitate exchanges between the two sides. South Korea previously listed “Taiwan” as “Taiwan (China)” in the drop-down menus of its online arrival card system, where people had to fill out where they came from and their next destination. The ministry had requested South Korea make a revision and said it would change South Korea’s name on Taiwan’s online immigration system from “Republic of Korea” to “Korea (South),” should the issue not be
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
Both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a political foundation based on the “1992 consensus” and opposition to Taiwanese independence, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) today said during her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Both sides of the Strait should plan and build institutionalized and sustainable mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation based on that foundation to make peaceful development across the Strait irreversible, she said. Peace is a shared moral value across the Strait, and both sides should move beyond political confrontation to seek institutionalized solutions to prevent war, she said. Mutually beneficial cross-strait relations are what the
ECONOMIC COERCION: Such actions are often inconsistently applied, sometimes resumed, and sometimes just halted, the Presidential Office spokeswoman said The government backs healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but such arrangements should not be made with political conditions attached and never be used as leverage for political maneuvering or partisan agendas, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday. Kuo made the remarks after China earlier in the day announced 10 new “incentive measures” for Taiwan, following a landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday. The measures, unveiled by China’s Xinhua news agency, include plans to resume individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian
RSS