Vice President Annette Lu (
Lu said only unity could bring victory.
Regarding DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun's opposition to negotiations between the party's four presidential aspirants, Lu said she regarded it as normal in a democratic party.
Yu, who is lagging in the polls, has strongly opposed selecting the party's candidates in closed negotiations.
Lu also dismissed speculation that the atmosphere of the first round of negotiations called by President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen is scheduled to meet the presidential aspirants again today.
Lu made the remarks while attending an event to mark Tree Planting Day in Taipei yesterday morning.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who also attended the event, said that he could verify Lu's remarks about Friday's meeting.
Su said that Chen had made clear the party's path clear and that this path was clear and definite.
Meanwhile, Su visited the Taiwan Society yesterday, hoping to garner the support of the pro-independence group.
As the society is scheduled to hold two public debates for the DPP's presidential aspirants on March 24 and March 31, Su said he would be happy to participate but as a party member, he must respect Chen and the decision made by his party's highest decision-making body, the Central Standing Committee.
Su had objections to participating in debates not organized by the DPP because he believed the pro-independence nature of the society could use such debates to highlight issues that put him at a disadvantage.
Wu Shuh-min (
"I hope the debates will help deepen the country's democracy as well as that of the DPP," he said.
After spending 30 minutes talking to society members behind closed doors, Su told the press conference that he would insist on Taiwan consciousness and core values and promised to put his promise into practice.
"Sometimes I may do a poor job, but I am open to all kinds of suggestions and will accept your criticisms with an open mind," he said.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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