The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) is facing yet another challenge as Taipei City Councilor Chen Chien-ming (
Chen must obtain the support of a quarter of the party's 150 national representatives to make his proposal valid. He broached the subject at the party's Central Executive Committee meeting, but received a lukewarm response.
Chen Yung-hsing (
"We consider it necessary, however, to clarify any misunderstanding regarding TSU Legislator Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛)," he said, adding they had suggested Lai take legal action if necessary.
Former TSU Legislator David Huang (黃適卓) had demanded that the party expel Lai and nullify her candidacy for legislator-at-large, alleging that Lai was associated with members of the "red-shirt army."
The "red-shirt army" refers to members of a campaign organized last year to depose President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) amid corruption allegations against him, his wife and his closest aides.
TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (
The party's policy proposals have never deviated from the party line since, he said.
In related news, three TSU legislators yesterday asked the DPP to extend a goodwill gesture by Friday and let opinion polls decide who should represent the pan-green camp in their respective constituencies in the legislative elections in January.
The TSU plans to nominate 17 district legislative candidates to compete for the 79 slots.
Huang Kun-huei said that the party was willing to drop the nomination of Huang Chao-chan (
Huang Kun-huei, however, criticized the DPP for luring TSU members to join its ranks, including TSU Legislator Ho Min-hao (
Meanwhile, DPP Culture and Information Department Director Hsieh Hsin-ni (
The TSU also ran a half-page advertisement in yesterday's Chinese-language United Daily News, urging former TSU Legislator Liao Pen-yen (
Chen Chien-ming said it was inappropriate for the TSU to place such an ad.
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
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would