The pan-blue camp's lawyers said yesterday they would appeal to the Supreme Court today regarding a verdict declared by the High Court on Nov. 4, that ruled the re-election of President Chen Shui-bian (
The lawyers said they would file the appeal against Chen and Lu at court today. They plan to hold a press conference afterward to explain why they decided to make the move.
Meanwhile, voters that wish to maintain the status quo and support constitutional reforms should vote for pan-blue camp candidates in the upcoming legislative elections, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
Responding to Chen's campaign speech on Saturday night, Lien called on Chen to clearly identify his position on changes to Taiwan's Constitution in order to give voters a better idea of whom to pick in the Dec. 11 elections.
In his speech on Saturday, Chen identified a number of constitutional reforms he supported, calling for "an end to the use of the Chinese constitutional law in Taiwan." Last night, however, Chen deliberately left open the question of whether he believes Taiwan should completely rewrite its Constitution or merely reform the existing one.
There are many differing opinions in Taiwan about whether to revise Taiwan's Constitution or write a new one, Lien said yesterday.
The KMT, People First Party (PFP), and the New Party support making reforms to the Constitution, in order to tailor the nation's constitutional law to suit Taiwan's current needs, Lien said yesterday while stumping for pan-blue candidate Alex Fei (費鴻泰) in Taipei.
Fei is a New Party member who is running under the KMT banner in Taipei's north voting district.
In contrast, Chen has still not made clear whether he supports rewriting or just reforming the Constitution, Lien said yesterday, adding that such ambiguity is confusing for voters.
"People who support rewriting the Constitution, should vote for that `little party' [the Taiwanese Solidarity Union (TSU)]. Those who support constitutional reform, should vote for KMT, PFP and New Party candidates," Lien said yesterday.
While Chen and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have been unclear about whether they support completely rewriting or just reforming the Constitution, the TSU's spiritual leader, former president Lee Teng-hui (
In a press release issued by the KMT late Saturday night after Chen's speech, KMT spokesman Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭) criticized Chen's call for putting an end to the use of the Chinese Constitution as a misunderstanding of the current situation and a move towards independence for Taiwan.
In the statement, Chang said that the Constitution used by Taiwan was never called the "Chinese Constitution" but is instead the Constitution of the Republic of China.
As a result, Chang warned, Chen's words could be interpreted by China to mean that the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China's constitution includes Taiwan.
Furthermore, said Chang, while Taiwan's people and the KMT do not support the positions held forth in China's constitution, they value the status quo.
Chen's direct call for an end to the use of a Chinese constitution in Taiwan will only derail any chances for cross-strait peace, Chang said.
While on the campaign trial in Taipei County, PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) also criticized Chen's comments, highlighting in particular Chen's call to eliminate the Taiwan Province level of government.
In 1997, the provincial administration was streamlined through constitutional changes.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai