The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) 17th national convention closed yesterday, with Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"As an opposition party, we should enhance our power in the Legislative Yuan and push for more bills that are important to people's livelihoods ... Legislators have to behave more rationally and avoid extremism," Ma said during the closing ceremony.
He later offered his apology to party representatives for the disorder.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
"We didn't plan well about the voting procedure and routes to the voting booths. I apologize for the disorder, and the situation will be improved next time," Ma said.
The 31 CSC members were elected last night about seven hours after the list of 210 Central Committee members came out. The top three members on the list were vice executive-director of the party's Policy Committee, Huang Chao-shun (
Lu received the most votes in the earlier Central Committee election, followed by Huang. Lien Sheng-wen was ranked sixth. KMT Legislator Lee Jih-chu (
Lien thanked the party representatives for giving him the chance to serve the party.
"I felt honored to be able to work with senior members at the party, and there are many things I will need to learn from them," he said.
Lu said that she felt honored but also pressured because she received the most votes in the Central Committee election. She also lauded the party for valuing womens' abilities and carrying out the concept of gender equality.
"This is the first time that the top three central committee members have been female. I thank our party members for appreciating womens' abilities, and I will devote my efforts to work for the party," she said.
The long and chaotic election process, however, drew criticism from some party members. Unfamiliar with the new direct-election procedure, many party representatives complained about the chaotic situation as they struggled to find voting booths among campaign troupes and media.
The disorder even angered KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"Friends from the media, please respect the election order, OK?" Ma raised his voice when swamped by reporters.
He later offered an apology to the media about his reaction.
KMT Secretary-General Chan Chuen-pao (
The election of the Central Committee members caused a dispute when three of the Central Committee election candidates' names were found to be missing from the vote.
Organization and Development Committee head Liao Feng-teh (
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
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
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
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