Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Luo Wen-chia's (
A member of the party's Central Standing Committee, Huang Ching-lin (
Huang told the press before the meeting that Luo, who used to be considered Chen's protege, was not qualified to comment on the president or the DPP because "he hasn't helped out with party affairs or governmental affairs since he lost the Taipei County commissioner race last year.
Luo has been attending a short-term study program at Harvard University since he lost the Taipei County commissioner election in December last year.
Luo said during a question-and-answer session after a speech he delivered at Boston University on Monday that Chen might not have intended to embezzle from his "state affairs fund" but made the mistake of lying to cover inconsistencies in the case.
"Those who should leave should go. Those who bring disgrace on the group should not stay in the party," Huang said.
Huang's proposal, however, was only discussed in the committee meeting yesterday and DPP Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Huang-liang (
DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (
Vice President Annette Lu (
She did not elaborate.
DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi (
Former DPP legislator Lee Wen-chung (
Luo yesterday expressed disappointment over his colleagues' criticism, and rebuked the president for telling lies to cover up mistakes he made.
"I am not surprised but rather disappointed by the fact that party members have such different opinions about me," Luo said in a message posted on his personal blog.
"Has our society become so crazy that there is no room for reasonable discussion?" he asked.
Luo said he would like to tell his critics that they would have said something different had they been there to listen to his entire speech.
"It's a pity that you were not there," he said.
Luo yesterday said he initially hesitated in accepting the speech invitation and understood that he could not avoid criticism in commenting on such a sensitive issue after a nine-month absence from the public eye.
Sharing views
He said the reason he eventually accepted the invitation was that he did not want to forgo an opportunity to dialogue with young people and that he wanted to share his feelings and observations of Taiwan and the DPP with friends and interested academics and policymakers in the US.
Luo said he was thinking of coming back to vote before in next month's elections and hoped his return would help change the domestic political status quo.
He denied that the move had anything to do with setting the stage for next year's legislative election.
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
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
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 Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS