The People First Party (PFP) appealed to the Supreme Court yesterday after its bid to have last year's presidential election nullified was rejected by the High Court.
The pan-blue alliance alleges that the results of the election were swayed by various electoral scandals, a referendum held on the same day of the election, the activation of a "national security mechanism" that they claim barred a number of police and military servicemen from going to the polls and the election-eve assassination attempt on President Chen Shui-bian (
Court Ruling
The Taiwan High Court ruled on Dec. 30 that the claims made by the two plaintiffs -- Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) -- could not stand up in court.
A legal team led by Lee Tzung-teh (
Plaintiff's Complaint
According to Lee, the High Court unlawfully turned down the plaintiffs' requests to review the electoral rolls and to obtain audio CDs recording the court hearings.
Lee accused the High Court of taking unlawful command of the lawsuit and failing in its duty by not making a judgment on whether it was lawful for the Central Election Commission to hold the referendum simultaneously with the presidential election.
Lee said the High Court also rejected evidence put forth by the plaintiffs that the secrecy of the vote was compromised because the referendum was held alongside the election, but did not provide any rationale for its decision.
Lee said those points were only a few of the numerous irregularities in the case and that it is inconceivable that such an important judicial case was processed so sloppily.
Commenting on the development, the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) incoming chairman, Su Tseng-chang (
DPP Reaction
Su also urged the two parties to respect the court's judgment and the judicial system.
Incoming DPP Secretary-General Lee Yi-yang (
Lee said he hopes the KMT and PFP will accept the final result by the Supreme Court in order to put an end to partisan confrontation and meet public expectations for political reconciliation.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese