Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
The party was held after Lien presided over his last central standing committee meeting in his capacity as chairman, at the KMT's headquarters in Taipei.
Lien told reporters that he was "in a very good mood" and felt "relaxed" about leaving the party's helm. Lien will officially hand over power to the chairman-elect, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
PHOTO: WANG YISUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Lien conveyed appreciation to high-ranking party officials who worked with him over the past five years and said he expected them to continue solving problems "from the people's perspective and need."
"I feel very proud and gratified that every KMT member worked so hard to serve the people of Taiwan and the Republic of China during the nearly 2,000 days of my term, which has been the most difficult time for the KMT since it moved from China to Taiwan," Lien said.
Lien thanked party officials for shouldering responsibility and working hard "without the backup of abundant resources and public power," and urged members to regard the KMT as the most important party in Taiwan and keep committing themselves to bettering the country.
The lack of a pan-blue merger during his term provided the only note of regret.
"The merger and cooperation of the two parties is not for the sake of power, but for carrying out our promises to the people. I feel sorry that we did not make it," Lien said.
Citing a poem by the ancient Chinese poet Li Bai (
Many female party members burst into tears during Lien's farewell speech.
A group of party members brought Lien flowers, and both Ma and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Wang said that he hopes Lien continues to offer his advice and assistance to the party in his new capacity as honorary chairman.
Ma also heaped praise on Lien's contributions. He lauded Lien for the scale and speed of reforms that he conducted within the party, and said Lien's visit to China was "full of wisdom and courage."
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
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
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