The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) chairmanship hand-over ceremony is slated to take place next Thursday, the party's acting chairwoman Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) announced yesterday.
Given that Lu and newly elected chairman Yu Shyi-kun previously had disagreed on the date of the hand-over, Yu yesterday went to DPP headquarters to speak with Lu about the issue, saying that he would respect her decision on the issue.
Lu had originally planned to stay on in the position until Feb. 8, while Yu wanted the hand-over be completed before the Lunar New Year.
After the DPP's weekly central standing committee yesterday, Lu announced that she would transfer power to Yu next Thursday in a ceremony at 10am.
"Although [the ceremony date] is a petty thing, I think it is necessary to make the course of decision-making clear," Lu said.
Meanwhile, during the meeting of the central standing committee, committee member Chou Ching-yu (周清玉) proposed that party members who had publicly denounced Lu should be dealt with.
Although no names were mentioned, it was apparent that Chou was referring to former chief convener of the DPP's New Tide faction Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康).
After Lu took up the acting chairwoman position, Tuan said "there must be a devil if the nation is about to perish," a Chinese proverb that roughly translates as evil appears before a nation's downfall, insinuating that Lu's attitude signalled the country's demise.
Many of Lu's supporters protested yesterday afternoon in front of the DPP's headquarters, asking that Tuan be expelled, saying that Tuan often made damaging remarks about the DPP and its leaders.
Lu yesterday said she would not ask the party to punish Tuan over the comments, but she wanted to urge political figures not to make such comments via the media.
"I hope that people can be cautious about what they say and not reveal their discrimination against women, otherwise, the inappropriate remarks will only destroy their own image,"Lu said.
Lu yesterday also said that the DPP will prohibit its members from paying the annual membership fees of other members.
Previously, some people in the DPP would pay the annual fees for others, so he or she can control votes in primaries or other elections. To make it more convenient for members to pay their fees, the DPP will collect annual fees through Chunghwa Post Co Ltd, which has more than 20 million accounts and 1,382 branches nationwide. The new regulation will be implemented on Jan. 1 next year.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS