The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday suspended the rights of 12 party members participating in the Central Standing Committee (CSC) election for three months amid allegations of vote buying.
Twenty-eight of the committee's elected members tendered their resignations last week, accusing the party of selectively investigating allegations of vote-buying during the election campaign.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who doubles as KMT chairman, held a provisional meeting on Thursday after the KMT revoked the election of two CSC members for bribing party delegates on Oct. 20. Ma on Monday finalized a plan to hold a CSC by-election on Nov. 14.
Juan Kang-meng (阮剛猛), director of the party's disciplinary committee, told reporters after the committee held a provisional meeting yesterday afternoon that although the 12 members denied they had given gifts, they allowed their supporters to do so and therefore undermined the image of the party. Eight out of the 12 were elected.
Juan said that yesterday’s decision capped a week-long investigation into the vote-buying allegations after the party nullified the election of two members on Oct. 20. Yesterday’s disciplinary measures were meant to reflect the party’s resolve to push for reform, he said.
As the party has publicized the rules on running in the year-end three-in-one elections and stumping for candidates, Juan said the committee also decided to mete out punishments to offenders.
The three-in-one polls refer to the election of city mayors and county commissioners, city and county councilors and township and village chiefs.
While the Hsinchu chapter reported a total of 36 members violating the party code to contest the December polls, Juan said they decided to revoke the memberships of some and suspend the party rights of others.
The committee revoked the memberships of Hsinchu County Commissioner Cheng Yung-chin (鄭永金) and his wife Cheng Song Li-hua (鄭宋麗華) for stumping for Hsinchu County Council Speaker Chang Pi-chin (張碧琴), Juan said.
Chang was stripped of her membership for ignoring the party's warning to run in the race, as the party had already nominated KMT Legislator Chiu Ching-chun (邱鏡淳) as its candidate.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS