Independent presidential candidate James Soong (
Liu, flanked by pro-Soong legislators, announced that he was throwing his support behind Soong.
"A while ago, when Soong led the race by a big margin, I was not interested in doing him an additional favor [by endorsing him]," said Liu, a legislator and long-time political faction leader in Taichung County. "Now that he is confronted with difficulty, I want to help him now as he did for me in the past."
Liu was apparently referring to support from Soong that helped him secure another term as speaker at the legislature in 1996.
The KMT said Liu's move was not unexpected, and the damage to the election campaign of its presidential candidate, Vice President Lien Chan (
"It is regrettable, but not something surprising," said KMT spokesperson Huang Hwei-chen (
But current legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Liu is expected to be expelled from the KMT, as were other KMT politicians who have already publicly endorsed Soong.
In Chiayi County yesterday afternoon, Soong said he was happy to hear the news.
Soong was there there to visit the parents of Liao Cheng-hao (
In addition to making a new allie, Soong yesterday also took a step to polish his image, tarnished by the recent financial scandal, by sending his lawyer, Huang Tung-hsiung (
Soong has claimed the money belonged to the KMT and that it was entrusted to him by President and KMT chairman Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) to take care of late President Chiang Ching-kuo's (蔣經國) family and to conduct "special operations" for the party.
Lee and the KMT have denied the claim.
In a statement issued yesterday by his lawyer, Soong said: "If the court refuses to accept the deposit, I will entrust the money to a supervisory committee made up of lawyers, accountants, scholars and other trustworthy people to decide what to do with the funds."
If the court accepts the money, it will notify the president to come and collect it. If that fails, the court will wait for the conclusion of legal action before disbursing it to what it considers to be the rightful owners.
If no one comes forward within 10 years, the money will be put into national coffers. The court also has the right to refuse the money.
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
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