Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Luo Wen-jia (
Luo, who originally revealed on his Web log that he was interested in running for the legislature in Taipei's Da-an District (
The constituency has traditionally been a stronghold of the pan-blue alliance led by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Luo said this was the first time his wife felt so strongly that he should not run in an election.
Luo said he had stuck by the DPP over the years because he never lost hope in the party and believes that the DPP is better than the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Luo's wife, Liu Chao-yi (
Liu said that she and her husband "might as well live separate lives" if Luo decides to run.
She dismissed speculation that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) hand-picked her husband to run in the tough constituency. She also rejected claims that she and Luo were pretending to be at odds in order to manipulate public opinion.
Luo, considered a maverick within the party for his outspokeness, failed to secure a nomination for the legislative elections mainly because of a grass-roots campaign against him and 10 other incumbent or former DPP legislators.
The campaign, led by a radio show, branded them the "11 bandits" and called for voters to boycott them during the legislative primaries earlier this year. It also branded them "traitors to Taiwan" for criticizing DPP policies.
Chen, who invited Luo to replace Kao Chia-yu (
Chen made the remarks as he left a Central Executive Committee meeting, which he chaired in his capacity as party chairman.
DPP legislative caucus whip Wang Tuoh (
"I believe that an apology to Luo is necessary," Wang said when approached for comment yesterday morning.
Wang said the president's invitation to Luo should be regarded as a confirmation of Luo's qualifications. He said it was appropriate compensation for what the party had put Luo through.
"I think the DPP should also apologize to the others who were labeled `bandits,'" Wang said.
Meanwhile, the Central Executive Committee yesterday agreed that Kao could withdraw from the election. The committee also approved the withdrawals of two other legislative candidates, Chen Yu-jen (
The committee also agreed to nominate former DPP legislator Chiu Chuang-liang (邱創良) to stand for election in Taoyuan County's sixth constituency.
In addition, it removed four nominees from four constituencies to pave the way for cooperation with the Taiwan Solidarity Union.
Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
China has reserved offshore airspace over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts that are usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. The alerts, known as notice to air missions (NOTAMs), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert
RSS