People First Party (PFP) legislator-at-large and former legislative speaker Liu Sung-fan (
Liu sent a letter to the PFP caucus yesterday to say that he had officially informed Soong of his decision to withdraw his party membership. He said that he was worried his case would affect the party's campaign for the legislative elections, so he decided to withdraw from the PFP.
FILE PHOTO: LIBERTY TIMES
Liu was on Tuesday sentenced by the Taiwan High Court's Taichung Branch to four years in jail for corruption. The court said that Liu, as the chairman of the board at the Taichung Business Bank, received NT$150 million in kickbacks from Tseng Cheng-jen (曾正仁), president of the Kuangsan Enterprise Group.
Liu's office yesterday said that he was still in New York, but would return to Taiwan. The office declined to give a specific date for his return.
PFP caucus whip Liu Wen-hsiung (
The PFP caucus also announced that Liu's seat would be filled by Namchow Group chairman Alfred Chen (陳飛龍) as Chen was the next candidate on the PFP's legislator-at-large list. The caucus denied that the party would skip Chen and send Soong, the candidate next on the list after Chen, into the legislature.
The replacement issue settled down as Chen and Soong met yesterday at noon and Chen's willingness to fill the seat was confirmed.
"I am happy and have no regret about going to the Legislative Yuan, to represent and speak for the business circle in the legislature," Chen said in a telephone interview yesterday afternoon.
Chen is scheduled to visit PFP headquarters and the caucus today to exchange opinions about his duties in this session.
"The party is sending Chen to the legislature because the order of legislators-at-large on the list was already determined three years ago, and we will abide by the law to fill the seat according to this order of succession," Liu Wen-hsiung said.
"This is also about integrity and honesty -- we promised a place on the list to Chen three years ago, and we are keeping our promise," he said.
Meanwhile, Liu Wen-hsiung said that all necessary paperwork would be finished on time to allow Chen to take the oath before Tuesday, so he could take part in the showdown about the reconsideration request for the controversial statute authorizing the formation of an investigative committee probing the March 19 shooting incident.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS