DPP to expel Cheng Yu-cheng

The DPP reached an agreement yesterday to expel scandal-ridden Legislator Cheng Yu-cheng (鄭余鎮) on the grounds that he had seriously affected the operation of its legislative caucus.

Cheng said he regretted the Central Review Committee's decision, since he had already apologized for his actions and had earlier announced he would leave the party voluntarily.

The DPP hopes its decision to dismiss Cheng will help it repair the damage he has done to the party's image over the past few months.

Tu Wen-chin (杜文卿), a member of the committee, said after the meeting that it took members only five minutes to unanimously agree on the move.

The decision strips Cheng of his party membership for neglecting his duty as a lawmaker. Cheng was absent from the legislative session for two months after he left for the US with his lover Sophie Wang (王筱嬋).

The two stayed in Los Angeles for three months while Cheng waited for his wife, Lu Pei-ying (呂佩茵), to agree to a divorce. The pair reportedly went through a marriage ceremony in the US.

Cheng returned to Taipei early this month, saying he could not endure Wang's violence. He said the affair was over and that he was ready to serve his country.

But Wang, who is reportedly two-months pregnant, has stayed in the media spotlight by continuing to demand to meet with Cheng. Two days ago, she asked Cheng for a divorce.

Cheng yesterday asked the party "not to focus on a power struggle designed to eliminate those who think differently."