Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) took a leave of absence yesterday from the Presidential Office’s monthly meeting and a ceremony to celebrate the birth of Confucius (孔子), thereby missing an opportunity to meet President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Ma and Wang have not met since the Special Investigation Division (SID) on Sept. 6 accused Wang of improper lobbying on behalf of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), which led the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to revoke Wang’s membership, a move that could cost him his seat as a legislator-at-large and the speakership.
Ma has said that he would respect Wang by addressing him as “Speaker Wang” at public events while the legal battle between the KMT, of which Ma is chairman, and Wang over his membership and the speaker post continue.
Presidential Office spokesperson Li Chia-fei (李佳霏) said Wang has asked for a leave of absence because he would be presiding over a legislative session.
As for the lawsuit between Wang and the KMT over his membership, Li said Ma has instructed the party to continue with the lawsuit, and said that the implementation of government policies will be unaffected.
“We will not call a halt to the lawsuit, and before the legal procedures are over, we will maintain respect for Legislator Wang,” she said.
Ma, who has dismissed allegations that he had plotted to oust Wang, remained firm on his position that the lawsuit must continue, Li said.
The Taiwan High Court did not hand down a ruling on Thursday on Wang’s request for an injunction against the KMT’s revocation of his party membership
Presiding Judge Wei Li-chuan (魏麗娟) suggested that the two sides should settle the case outside the court, saying that “taking a step back is actually moving forward.”
Many KMT lawmakers have cited Wei’s comments in a meeting with Ma on Thursday night, asking him to reconcile with Wang to end the political turmoil.
Li said the president stressed that there was no conspiracy or political manipulations behind the legal case, and taking a legal approach to such an issue was a difficult, but necessary, decision.
“President Ma said as the leader of the country and the KMT chairman, he cannot avoid the issue. He must seek justice on behalf of the public and all KMT members,” she said.
Ma and Wang are both scheduled to attend the Double Ten National Day ceremony on Oct. 10, and all eyes will be on their interactions, if any.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost