The DPP yesterday reprimanded two of its lawmakers-at-large for being involved in vote-buying allegations which has tarnished the party's image.
The two lawmakers-at-large are Chen Sheng-hung (陳勝宏) and the party's old guard Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏), a former DPP secretary-general. Both were accused by Su Hui-chen (蘇惠珍), the majority shareholder of the Zanadau Development Corp of accepting bribes from her during the party's primaries for nominating legislators at large last year.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen made the statement at the party's Central Standing Committee meeting. He urged all party members to display exemplary conduct to protect the party's image and suggested that the party amend its nomination procedures for legislators-at-large to decrease the chances that its candidates would be susceptible to bribes.
The committee yesterday held disciplinary discussions on Chen Sheng-hung and Chang based on an internal investigation undertaken by five lawyers which specified that the two had different degrees of involvement in the bribery scam.
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Chin-yung (
"There is no evidence showing Chang might have been aware of the vote-buying scam or have participated in it, while the investigators deemed that Chen Sheng-hung was actually aware of the plot," Lee said.
Chang told reporters yesterday that he found the party's condemnation unacceptable and reproached the party for failing to exercise good judgment.
"I'll reserve my right to seek an appeal," Chang said.
Chen Sheng-hung yesterday issued a press release denying the vote-buying charges, and claimed that he would commit suicide if he were guilty.
Meanwhile, the DPP yesterday remained tightlipped about the nomination for a candidate to run for the by-election of the Hualien County commissioner while the pan-blue alliance announced Hsieh Shen-shan (謝深山), a former KMT secretary-general, will join the race.
Lee Chin-yung said yesterday that "since the registration date for the by-election starts tomorrow, the party is expected to announce its nominee by then."
Amid the pan-blue camp's announcement to designate Hsieh as the candidate, Lee said, "We hope that the KMT and PFP can reinforce their integration and avoid any internal clashes, which would otherwise obscure the focus of the election."
"We expect that it will be a gentleman's competition between the blue camp and the DPP through the debate on public policies in order to win recognition from the residents of Hualien," Lee said.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
RSS