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 (
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
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