Weighed down by the indictment of first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) for alleged corruption, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters and caucus yesterday remained quiet and appeared to be in low spirits.
When approached by the press in the Legislature yesterday morning, DPP Legislator Lin Cho-shui (
Former DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康), known for his outspokenness, said in a phone interview that a consensus was reached in a Friday night meeting that DPP members would not accept media interviews on the matter.
DPP Legislator Lee Wen-chung (李文忠) also refused to comment on the indictment or on details of the meeting when quizzed by members of the press over the telephone.
DPP Legislator Lin Kuo-ching (林國慶) said that he found it difficult to believe that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) could be involved in corruption.
DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun said at a campaign event yesterday that the party respected the judiciary, but "the judicial judgment may not necessarily be correct."
In contrast to the depressed mood among DPP legislators, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday again urged Chen to resign as soon as possible and allow Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) to succeed to the presidency.
KMT Legislator Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍) said that Chen had lost the public's support. According to the latest opinion polls conducted by the Chinese-language China Times, United Daily News and TVBS, 60 percent of respondents believed Chen should step down.
Hsu urged DPP lawmakers and party heavyweights to distance themselves from Chen "to save the DPP's future."
Hsu told a press conference that social stability would be better guaranteed if Chen resigned, adding that the KMT caucus would continue pushing a third recall motion in the Legislature tomorrow if Chen insisted on staying put.
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), which said on Friday that it would support the pan-blues' proposal to recall Chen, said yesterday that it would not support the pan-blues' demand that Chen step down within 48 hours or else they would initiate a recall motion against him.
Chen should be given time so he can explain his side of story, the TSU said yesterday.
Meanwhile, DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Frank Hsieh (
During the event, Hsieh said that he believed all the difficulties would eventually be overcome given that the "state affairs fund" case is now being handled by the judiciary.
Hsieh's TSU counterpart Clara Chou (
In the letter, Lee, regarded by the TSU as its spiritual leader, said that he did not support the "corrupt and incompetent DPP" and that "Taiwan will be beyond redemption if voters support the corrupt DPP."
The letter ended with a call urging voters to cast their ballots for Chou.
DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Chen Chu (
also see stories:
Presidential Office in crisis: Ma calls on DPP to join recall motion
Presidential Office in crisis: Prosecutor Eric Chen: Staying true to his principles
Presidential Office in crisis: Shih lashes out at Ma over protest
Presidential Office in crisis: US hopes for stable relations even if Lu were to take over
Editorial: The president must make his case
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
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
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
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