The DPP yesterday recommended revoking the party membership of Legislator Lin Chin-hsing (
Lin is among the 40 politicians -- 34 of whom are Kaohsiung City councilors -- who were charged on Monday in a scandal that has rocked the nation.
The party's Central Executive Committee yesterday reached an agreement to expel Lin. But the decision won't be finalized until the end of the month at the party's Central Review Committee.
Lin was indicted as an accomplice because he and his ex-wife, City Councilor Chang Wen-hsiu (章玟琇), had accepted a NT$5 million bribe from Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Chu An-hsiung (
Prosecutors want Lin to serve one year in prison.
The legislator claimed he was innocent on Monday. He told party officials that although he had accompanied his ex-wife to meet with Wang, he "was not involved in the transaction."
Lin said earlier yesterday that he may consider withdrawing from the party on his own accord.
After the party's meeting yesterday, officials endorsed the prosecutors' indictment on the grounds the decision would issue a warning and curb the corruption in elections.
While asserting the party's position against vote-buying and black gold politics, DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Chin-yung (
The city council kicked off as scheduled on April 1, despite the fact that 34 out of the 44 city councilors were involved in the scandal and in the face of a racous protest outside the chamber from citizens who wanted the accused councilors to step down.
The most effective way to drive these officials out of office is to revise the Law on Local Government Systems (
The DPP yesterday called for cross-party cooperation to push for the amendment of the laws, while urging the KMT to stop hindering the amendment with technical measures.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS