The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) on Wednesday night announced plans to lay off all of its employees, as the New Power Party (NPP) begins plans to set up offices nationwide.
The TSU said in a news release that its employees are to be laid off to give a future party chairman “complete space if he decides to continue.”
The party said that former chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) had already submitted his resignation following disappointing results in Saturday’s legislative elections, with secretary-general Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) and former legislator Cheng Cheng-lung (程振隆) to handle party affairs until a new chairman is appointed.
Cheng is said to be providing the party with transitional financial support.
Party secretary-general Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) was quoted in the Chinese-language Apple Daily as saying that a total of 22 people would be laid off. The contract for the party’s offices near the Legislative Yuan are due to expire at the end of March, he said.
The party’s decision came after it lost all of its legislative seats in Saturday’s elections and failed to cross the threshold required to receive government subsidies, leading to rumors that it is considering disbanding.
Lin said that a majority of party officials in an internal meeting felt it should not disband, adding that Huang had sought an audience with the party’s “spiritual leader” — former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) — on the party’s future when he submitted his resignation.
While Lee — who is recovering from a minor stroke — declined to meet with Huang, he reportedly urged for the party to continue and reinvent itself in a letter, volunteering Cheng to help with its financial difficulties.
Meanwhile, the New Power Party (NPP)— which won five seats — yesterday said that it was planning a major staff expansion, with a focus on establishing regional offices to begin building up a national grassroots network.
“We hope to have more local party members and because prior to the elections, it was almost impossible for us to engage in cultivation, this will be our focus after the election,” NPP Secretary-General Chen Hui-min (陳惠敏) said, adding that the party would establish permanent offices in Kaohsiung, Taichung, Hsinchu and Hualien.
With more than 6 percent of the national vote, the party is eligible for more than NT$37 million (US$1.1 million) in government subsidies every year and plans to move into new offices closer to the Legislative Yuan, she said.
The party’s five seats also make it eligible to establish a legislative caucus, providing it with additional funding to hire 10 to 14 aides to help draft policy proposals, she said, adding that individual legislators would also receive additional government subsidies and funding.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their