The KMT's Evaluation and Discipline Committee yesterday expelled seven party members because they were seeking office under the banners of rival parties in the Dec. 1 legislative elections.
The memberships of four others were revoked for campaigning in local government races without a party nomination or campaigning for the candidates of rival parties.
The move is another mass disciplinary action on the part of the KMT, following the August expulsion of 11 members who defected to the Taiwan Solidarity Union.
The committee's chairman, Chen Kang-chin (陳庚金), explained that his committee decided to expel the seven because running for office under the banner of rival parties is considered a more serious offense than running without the party's nomination.
Although both "expulsion" and "revocation of membership" mean ouster from the party, an expulsion is a more sever punishment, according to KMT rules.
Those who have their membership revoked can have it restored one year later. Members who are expelled are not allowed to rejoin until two years after their ouster.
Of the seven expelled, four are representing the People First Party in the December poll.
They are Lu Chun-hung (呂鈞鴻), who is running in Taipei County, and three others who won the PFP's nomination for legislator-at-large: Lin Huei-kwung (林惠官), president of the Chinese Federation of Labor (中華民國全國總工會), Ku Chung-lien (顧崇廉), former commander-in-chief of the ROC Navy, and Alfred Chen (陳飛龍), the chairman of Namchow Chemical (南僑化工).
The other three are representing the Taiwan Solidarity Union. The first is Eric Wu (吳東昇), chairman of the Taiwan Securities Co (台證綜合證券公司) and a former KMT legislator, who is on the TSU's slate of legislator-at-large candidates. The second is Taoyuan County Council speaker Huang Chin-teh (黃金德), who has registered to run for the legislature in Taoyuan County. The third is Lin Wen-sheng (林文生) who is chief of the Taichung County's Hoping Township and who is running for an Aboriginal seat.
Fengshan Mayor Huang Pa-yeh (黃八野), who insists on running for Kaohsiung County commissioner despite defeat in opinion polls to party nominee Wu Kuang-hsun (吳光訓), had his membership revoked. In the same boat is Chiayi County Government adviser Chen Sheng-san (陳勝三), who is running for Chiayi County commissioner after the party nominated Wong Chung-chun (翁重鈞) for the post.
The membership of legislator Tseng Chen-nung (曾振農) was revoked for campaigning for the DPP's candidate for Chiayi County commissioner, Chen Ming-wen (陳明文).
Yen Yao-hsing (顏耀星), deputy head of the KMT's Tainan County division, received the same punishment as Tseng for campaigning for the DPP's candidate for Tainan County commissioner, Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智).
Meanwhile, violations of discipline by legislator Lin Jih-jia (林志嘉) and Kinmen County commissioner Chen Shui-tsai (陳水在) were not handled during yesterday's meeting because their local divisions have not recommended to the committee what punishment to give them, according to Chen Kang-chin.
Both politicians registered to run in the legislative elections on Thursday without the party's nomination.
An Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, the first service of the airline since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. Flight EK366 took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 3:51am yesterday and landed at 4:02pm before taxiing to the airport’s D6 gate at Terminal 2 at 4:08pm, data from the airport and FlightAware, a global flight tracking site, showed. Of the 501 passengers on the flight, 275 were Taiwanese, including 96 group tour travelers, the data showed. Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting (黃荷婷) greeted Taiwanese passengers at the airport and
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