The Taiwan Action Party Alliance (TAPA) yesterday announced that it has begun the dissolution process.
The decision followed the announcement on Jan. 12 by former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), the party’s spiritual head, that he was withdrawing from politics.
TAPA failed to win any seats in Jan. 11’s legislative elections. It received 143,617 votes, or 1.01 percent of the party vote.
Photo: Hsieh Chieh-yu,Taipei Times
Under election regulations, only parties that garner at least 3 percent of the party vote are entitled to government funding; and only those that receive 5 percent of the vote can obtain legislator-at-large seats.
TAPA said in a statement on Facebook that its members on Sunday reached a decision to dissolve the party, as outlined by its own rules.
From yesterday, the party ceased accepting membership fees and donations, it said.
To finalize dissolution, a task force has been formed to handle its accounting and registrations, as well as other work, the party said.
“We would like to pay our highest respect to our supporters, as well as express our most sincere gratitude and apologies to them,” it said.
Party members would continue to work for Taiwan with the same spirit, it added.
TAPA was founded in August last year and has advocated Chen’s stance of “one country on each side” of the Taiwan Strait.
The party nominated Chen as one of its legislator-at-large candidates, but the Central Election Commission disqualified his listing, citing the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), which prohibits people who have been convicted of corruption from registering as a candidate.
Chen was sentenced to 20 years in prison on a series of corruption charges and is on medical parole.
“As the ‘gardener’ of TAPA, I feel deeply ashamed to have allowed this little tree to wither,” Chen said on Jan. 12.
After spending a night engaged in deep reflection, he decided that he could no longer contribute to the party or Taiwan, he said.
“From this day on, I would withdraw from politics. Thank you and good bye,” he said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS