The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Central Standing Committee yesterday recommended expelling Taipei City Councilor Tung Chung-yan (童仲彥) for damaging the party’s reputation amid accusations domestic violence and infidelity against him.
It forwarded the recommendation to the DPP Central Evaluation Committee, which is to meet on Feb. 22, DPP spokesperson Wang Min-sheng (王閔生) said.
“The review was swift, with committee members unanimously agreeing on the expulsion proposal,” Wang said.
Photo: CNA
If Tung is expelled, he would be barred from the party for five years. If he were later allowed to rejoin the party, he would not be allowed to participate in public or party elections for two years.
Tung’s wife, Lee Hsiu-huan (李秀環), last month accused him of long-term domestic violence and infidelity, with Chinese-language Next Magazine publishing photographs of her injuries.
Media reports have said that Tung’s former office director, Chiu Hui-mei (邱惠美), was his mistress.
Tung later admitted to the accusations, including his relationship with Chiu, while announcing on Facebook that he would voluntarily withdraw from the party.
The DPP’s Taipei chapter on Monday confirmed his deregistration.
Expulsion is the most severe punishment that can be imposed on a party member, while members who voluntarily withdraw from the DPP can rejoin the party after two years.
“I am grateful for the DPP’s support. I will continue my work with a [renewed] mindset and reflect on and amend my mistakes,” Tung said.
Thanking the 20,000 voters who voted for him, Tung said he would redouble his efforts to supervise the city government.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition