The decision to revoke legislator Lin Shih-chia’s (林世嘉) Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) membership was a tough one for the party, but discipline had to be upheld, TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) said yesterday.
The party’s Central Executive Committee reached a consensus on Monday afternoon to expel Lin, which meant she lost her position as an at-large lawmaker.
Lin, one of the three TSU lawmakers, attended the committee meeting, but left early without knowing that the committee would revoke her membership afterward.
In a press release issued on Monday evening, the TSU said that as caucus whip, Lin had repeatedly acted on her own without regard for the party’s position and had manipulated media coverage, adding that her controversial style had been criticized by supporters and businesspeople.
The catalyst for her expulsion appeared to be her “unilateral endorsement” of a negotiation over a controversial amendment to the Accounting Act (會計法) that sought to exempt local councilors, lawmakers and academics from prosecution over the misuse of public funds, without consulting the TSU.
The legislature’s passage of the amendment, which has since been revoked, sparked widespread public outrage. Lin resigned as caucus whip on June 4.
Huang said he had talked to Lin on Monday morning about her “political approach and attitude,” but did not a receive an appropriate response from her.
Lin’s office said on Monday that she had learned of her ousting “five minutes before the media knew about it.”
Lin yesterday said she had worked hard every day in the legislature for the voters who supported the party and all Taiwanese, but did not comment further on her expulsion.
The expulsion was a painful decision, but one that had to be made, because legislators-at-large are obligated to endorse their party’s position and policies, TSU Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) said.
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
RSS