A former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member, who was sacked in June for his outspokenness, has confirmed plans to join a committee investigating the party’s illegal assets, drawing fire from KMT members.
Committee of Illegal Party Asset Settlement chairman Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Thursday said that he consulted with former KMT spokesman Yang Wei-chung (楊偉中) last week and invited him to join the committee.
Koo said that Yang immediately agreed, saying that he has always advocated honest handling of the KMT party assets issue, but had no way to push for reform from within the party.
Yang confirmed the meeting with Koo and expressed his desire to promote the handling of the KMT’s assets and other transitional justice measures.
Koo said that the committee would draw upon Yang’s experience as a former KMT member to balance the committee’s efforts.
Koo has also met with New Power Party members and is expected to release a complete list of committee members next week.
Answering reporters’ questions yesterday morning, Yang said that proper handling of the party assets issue requires “stepping outside of blue and green party biases.”
His comments were echoed by Koo.
“This should not be a battle of parties trying to settle accounts with each other,” Koo said, adding that the committee’s efforts are supported by most of the public.
When asked if his own salary as a former KMT member should be surrendered, Yang said: “Measures will be executed according to the decisions of the committee. Naturally, individuals and groups associated with the party will not be exempted.”
KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy
director-general Hu Wen-chi (胡文琦) lambasted Yang for being “the sword and hired thug of the Democratic Progressive Party in their battle against the KMT” and said that the decision to expel Yang from the party was sagacious.
Addressing Yang, Hu said: “I hope [you] will maintain a good conscience, discuss things as they are and get to know the KMT anew.”
Hu said that Yang was announcing his plans to resign before the presidential elections were concluded earlier this year and that he later began making incessant attacks against the KMT, making him intolerable among party constituents.
Yang’s decision to approach the Taiwan Solidarity Union and his public support for Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are evidence of his early intentions of joining the pan-green camp, Hu said.
“It is not the least bit surprising for the KMT that Yang wants to join the Committee of Illegal Party Asset Settlement,” he said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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