President Chen Shui-bian (
Dubbing himself the president's "old comrade in arms," Shih wrote a letter to the president on Monday whose content was published in the Chinese-language China Times.
Corruption claims
In the letter, Shih urged the president to step down from his post since he has lost the people's trust following his son-in-laws' alleged involvement in a corruption scandal and the recent controversy over the Presidential Office's special allowances.
"For the sake of Taiwan and the DPP, I urge Chen to step down bravely. Only a truly brave warrior admits his mistakes and gives up what he holds dear," the letter said.
Shih held a press conference yesterday morning to elaborate his motives for writing the letter, saying that he "agonized" over writing it, yet he had to speak on behalf of the common people.
Shih urged the president to stop defending himself and his family and to step down as soon as possible since the Presidential Office has become a source of social unrest.
"President Chen asked people to believe in him yet did not offer the truth," Shih said. "What can people do when the president and his son-in-law refuse to admit their mistakes?"
In response, Mark Chen said that he and the president knew about the letter after reading the newspaper in the morning. The Presidential Office received the letter at noon.
Mark Chen said the president respects Shih very much and Shih's opinions on constitutional reform and freedom of the press had influenced him a lot.
"President Chen and Shih are good friends and old friends. They have not seen each other for a long time. I hope I have a chance to arrange a meeting between the two," Mark Chen said in response to questions from reporters before attending the DPP's weekly central standing committee meeting yesterday afternoon.
Different voices
When asked how the president reacted to Shih's call for his resignation, Mark Chen said: "President Chen knows he needs to listen to many different voices. Shih's voice is significant to the president."
DPP spokesman Tsai Huang-liang (
But DPP caucus whip Yeh Yi-ching (
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS