President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday expressed thanks to Taiwan High Court judges for their hard work in adjudicating a pan-blue lawsuit over the past seven months.
Both Chen and Lu also called on opposition leaders and all the people of Taiwan to safeguard the nation's democracy by accepting the ruling and to be rational about the situation.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
After the High Court dismissed the pan-blue camp's lawsuit, DPP Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday called on the pan-blue camp to acknowledge the verdict and learn from US Senator John Kerry, who graciously conceded defeat after the results of the US presidential election were known Wednesday.
"The High Court verdict just came after the US presidential election finished, and this offers a good lesson for pan-blue leaders and supporters to realize the value of democracy and the importance of a country's unity," Chang said in the news conference held after the verdict was announced.
Nearly seven months after the pan-blue camp filed the lawsuit, wherein it claimed the result of the March 20 presidential election should be annulled, the High Court yesterday ruled against the pan-blue camp and said the election of Chen was valid.
"We are gratified to see the outcome but we don't feel much joy, since the public image of the legal system has been hurt by the pan-blue camp's groundless accusations," said a DPP attorney Wellington Koo (顧立雄).
"If the pan-blue camp decides to appeal, we will respect that, but we really hope it will stop sabotaging the country's last defense of social trust just because they want to win," he said.
Chang urged the pan-blue camp to respect the ruling, stressing it is time for Taiwan to move on and find common ground.
"If the pan-blue camp still refuses to come to its senses and continues to encourage protests, I think voters will react to this in the legislative elections," Chang said.
Facing angry pan-blue protesters outside the High Court building yesterday, DPP legislative caucus leader Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) urged the pan-blue camp to accept the verdict and concede that it lost the presidential election. "Only by accepting their defeat can a person make a comeback," Ker said.
"We really hope that the disputes over the presidential election come to an end with this verdict," DPP caucus whip Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said.
In related news, according to a survey conducted by the Government Information Office between Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, 59.1 percent of respondents think that the pan-blue camp should accept the High Court's verdict, while 9.7 percent said the pan-blue camp should appeal. The survey questioned 1088 people.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS