Retired army general Yu Pei-chen (于北辰) on Friday said that he was leaving the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and voiced his support for the Democratic Progressive Party’s Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀), who is to run in a by-election on Sunday next week.
Yu made the announcement during an appearance on a talk show. The by-election is to fill Taichung’s second electoral district seat, left vacant following the recall of former legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) of the Taiwan Statebuilding Party in October last year.
Yu said he supported justice, the Republic of China and the Republic of China Army, and not a local faction.
Photo: Lee Jung-ping, Taipei Times
KMT by-election candidate Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) yesterday accused Yu of “selling out his soul” for NT$3,000 — the fee for attending the talk show — and said that regardless of ideology, political parties must have a core idea that defines them.
“Without that central core, political parties are not that different from chain convenience stores,” he added.
Yu yesterday said that Yen, coming from a wealthy family, should not insult convenience store workers, who he said have to work hard for a living.
Lin thanked Yu for his support, saying that regardless of Yu’s previous party affiliation, she and Yu now agree “that we must resist the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] and protect Taiwan together.”
Yu had been a loyal KMT member for more than 30 years and hoped the party could change, Lin said, adding that Yen’s criticism of a former party member was unnecessary.
Yu had previously said that the KMT’s insistence on the so-called “1992 consensus” was detached from reality.
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said that Yu might have some misunderstandings about cross-strait relations, adding that he would gladly clarify the issues to Yu if given the chance.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
MILITARY BOOST: The procurement was planned after Washington recommended that Taiwan increase its stock of air defense missiles, a defense official said yesterday Taiwan is planning to order an additional four PAC-3 MSE systems and up to 500 missiles in response to an increasing number of missile sites on China’s east coast, a defense official said yesterday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the proposed order would be placed using the defense procurement special budget, adding that about NT$1 trillion (US$32,88 billion) has been allocated for the budget. The proposed acquisition would include launchers, missiles, and a lower tier air and missile defense radar system, they said The procurement was planned after the US military recommended that Taiwan increase
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
RSS