Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟), the president of the Ketagalan Academy, a talent-training institute, urged opposition politicians to stop trying to discredit the academy, saying he welcomed opposition leaders to follow the DPP's example by establishing such an institution with leftover campaign funds.
Chen Shih-meng said the academy was founded with campaign funding left over from President Chen Shui-bian's (
He said it was pointless for the opposition parties to accuse government officials of violating administrative neutrality by joining the program because the institution is not affiliated with the DPP.
"Academy officials are entitled to enroll people from any social group in classes," he said.
Chen Shih-meng made the comments yesterday after he announced that the academy is going to introduce a series of courses on Aborigines.
Launched on March 29, the academy is a brainchild of President Chen and is expected to nurture politically adept officials for roles in the DPP administration. The students and lecturers are predominantly DPP members, or those who are friendly with the party.
Opposition politicians have questioned the motives behind the founding of the school, saying it simply provides an opportunity for those who are seeking to foster ties with the DPP.
The first session is focusing on national leadership and development strategies.
In May the academy will launch a study of Aboriginal research. It will also introduce a youth camp in the summer.
Academy officials said they welcome governmental administrators in charge of Aboriginal affairs to join the program to have a deeper understanding of the ethnic group and to forge a new partnership between the nation and Aborigines.
Sun Ta-chuan (
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
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