President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday remained noncommittal about whether he would take up the post of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman again, but said he would seriously consider it.
"I have 100 jin (
Chen said he could not do the job alone if he does decide to accept it.
"I need your help to carry the heavy load," he said. "So it will not become a burden."
Chen made the remarks in Taipei County yesterday morning.
On Wednesday, the DPP Central Standing Committee unanimously agreed to urge Chen to double as party chairman. The party will hold an extraordinary Central Executive Committee meeting today to make the nomination official.
Chen said that while some people have said the position of party chairman was a burden, he thought it was more appropriate to describe it as a responsibility.
"It is not an easy job," he said. "If it were, former senior presidential adviser Koo Kwang-ming (
Koo, a supporter of outgoing DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun, is strongly opposed to Chen's resuming the post.
He has said Yu should stay on so that Chen will not have one more burden to carry.
Yu resigned over the controversy surrounding the DPP's "normal country resolution," which was passed by the party's national congress last Sunday.
Yu wanted more explicit rhetoric than what was used in the version that passed.
Chen yesterday urged Koo to use his influence to talk Yu out of quitting.
There is still hope of asking Yu to stay during today's Central Executive Committee meeting, Chen said.
Yu, however, said yesterday that he would not change his mind.
"I am determined, and I've said it clearly. I have issued my written statement. It is my political promise," he said while meeting with pro-independence political commentator Wang Ben-hu (汪笨湖).
Yu reiterated his support for Chen to replace him.
He also promised to continue pushing for the normalization of Taiwan as a country.
But he dismissed allegations that he would join January's legislative elections as a legislator-at-large candidate.
"I will focus my efforts on fighting for the party's victory in next year's elections," he said.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS