Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德), who is leading a campaign to depose the president, yesterday described the DPP as worse than the Chinese Communist Party or the authoritarian-era Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
"I thought only the vicious Chinese Communist Party was good at smear campaigns, little did I expect the DPP would do the same," he said. "The way they attack me is much more virulent than how the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) treated me during the authoritarian era. Even if the DPP vilifies me, it does not make President Chen [Shui-bian (陳水扁)] look better."
Shih also responded to a remark he said was made by Chen, in which the president said that Shih and other senior party heavyweights resented Chen because he was so young when he was elected, and therefore blocked their presidential bids.
"As a national leader, the president should be open-minded and tolerant," Shih said. "The more he speaks, the more he fuels the anti-Chen campaign."
Shih made the remark yesterday afternoon in response to a comment Chen is supposed to have made during a meeting with party employees and supporters in Ilan County yesterday morning.
DPP Legislator Chen Chin-de (
Shih also said that DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun accused Shih of trting to seek a post in Chen's Cabinet in the run-up to the 2000 presidential election.
Shih produced what he described as the minutes of a meeting on March 4, 2000, between him, Chen, then-DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung (
Shih said that Yu was not in a position to make the allegation, because he was not at the meeting.
Shih said that Chen had asked if he was interested in becoming party chairman, legislative speaker or head of the Straits Exchange Foundation, but Shih said he declined the offer.
However, Yu yesterday said that the press had misquoted remarks he made about Shih when he spoke to reporters at a luncheon on Tuesday.
"Still, what I said during the luncheon represents the facts as I understand them. I did not reveal any specific information intentionally," Yu said, saying that Shih had met with Chen at least nine times around 2000.
"Only Shih knows exactly what he talked about with the president," Yu said.
Shih also said that Yu had raised suspicions that China was playing a part in Shih's campaign, but he dismissed the speculation as "dirty."
"Many people know how much I abhor China," he said. "I have refused to visit Hong Kong since 1997 and Macao since 1999. I will continue to do so until China agrees to abandon the use of military means to resolve cross-strait disputes."
Shih said it was a shame that the party had made "dirty" accusations about his campaign, because he knew "many DPP members" had formed groups to visit brothels in China.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
RSS