New Party leaders yesterday strongly expressed their anger with the People First Party (PFP), alleging that the party was trying to take over the New Party to win more seats in the year-end elections.
After Feng Ting-kuo (馮定國), a New Party lawmaker from Taichung County, announced he was joining the PFP on Thursday, high-ranking PFP officials revealed yesterday that the party's chairman, James Soong (宋楚瑜), had already suggested inviting a few New Party heavyweights to represent his party in the legislative election.
"Soong expects to nominate the New Party's former convener, Wang Chien-shien (
Hsieh, however, said in answer to reporters' questions yesterday that she believed all three politicians would decline Soong's invitation.
"Wang and Kao are both founding members of the New Party, and Chou has already registered to receive our party's nomination," Hsieh said, "and their loyalty will prove that the party has the ability to continue its political life."
Other New Party leaders yesterday severely attacked Feng for leaving and warned the PFP not to continue trying to poach the New Party's elite into its ranks.
"Feng wants to sell the party out for his own personal interests. We appeal to the PFP not to nominate such a person and we hope that Feng will lose the election," New Party Taipei City councilor Lee Ching-yuan (李慶元) said in a statement, read on behalf of all New Party councilors.
Wang also issued a news release last night saying that Soong's remarks not only severely hurt the New Party but also insulted him.
"A positive contest between all political parties is good for Taiwan's democracy," Wang said in the news release, "and therefore any intention to cause the New Party to disappear [by merging it with the PFP] is immoral."
"I am not sure what James Soong meant by his invitation to New Party leaders," Wang said. "Does he want to eliminate the New Party? I hope Soong can exercise more justice than trickery."
Wang wrote a private letter to Feng in which he said that Feng's behavior was worse than that of a dog.
The PFP, however, denied that its party chairman had made any deal with Hsieh or even expressed such an intent in private.
"We welcome anybody who wants to join us. But the nomination procedure is fair and does not favor people who defect from other political parties," said PFP spokesman Liao Tsang-sung (
The New Party's influence has gradually declined since its poor showing in the 1998 legislative election. Analysts say that with only nine seats in the legislature, the party faces the prospect of a PFP merger or takeover.
Hsieh vowed the party would make a good showing in the election.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
CHINA’s BULLYING: The former British prime minister said that he believes ‘Taiwan can and will’ protect its freedom and democracy, as its people are lovers of liberty Former British prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Western nations should have the courage to stand with and deepen their economic partnerships with Taiwan in the face of China’s intensified pressure. He made the remarks at the ninth Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prospect Foundation in Taipei. Johnson, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, said he had seen Taiwan’s coastline on a screen on his indoor bicycle, but wanted to learn more about the nation, including its artificial intelligence (AI) development, the key technology of the 21st century. Calling himself an
RSS