President and DPP Chairman Chen Shui-bian (
Aiming to deflect criticism from the opposition that those who chose to join the DPP did it to be closer to the center of power, Chen stressed there are no privileges or special benefits for DPP members.
"In a democratic society, the term `party member' is very neutral -- unlike in the authoritarian era when a `party member' had a special political status," Chen said at the swearing-in ceremony.
"Members who choose to join the DPP will have more responsibilities to serve and contribute to society. They will have absolutely no privileges or special benefits."
Nine police officers, along with a group of governmental officials and cultural elite, joined the DPP yesterday at a ceremony presided over by the president.
The new members include Keelung City Police Headquarters Director Wu Chen-chi (吳振吉), Presidential Office Security Department Chief Hsieh Fan-fan (謝芬芬) and Chang Chun-po (張春波), the security department chief of the presidential residence.
The party also chose to recruit representatives from different ethnic groups such as the prominent Hakka writer Chung Chao-cheng (
Council of Cultural Affairs Chairwoman Tchen Yu-chiou (陳郁秀) also joined the party along with senior adviser to the president Ku Kuan-min (辜寬敏), chairman of the Taiwan Provincial Government Fan Kuang-chun (范光群), Council of Agriculture Chairman Lee Chin-lung (李金龍) and minister without portfolio Hu Sheng-cheng (胡勝正).
It was the second time that the DPP invited a group of executives and cultural leaders into the party.
Given that the DPP has criticized the KMT's efforts to control the nation's police and military systems by forcing them to join the party, PFP lawmakers said yesterday that the DPP had taken the path of its predecessor.
The KMT denounced the DPP's recruiting drive as a way to hide their incompetence as a ruling party.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS