The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday gave the cold shoulder to the idea of entrusting former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) to form a "pan-green alliance," under which pro-localization groups would establish a long-term cooperative relationship.
"Former president Lee declared his position when he said [in a speech on Sunday] that he is a supporter of Taiwan rather than a supporter of the pan-green camp," TSU Secretary-General Lin Jih-jia (
A report in yesterday's Liberty Times, (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper), quoted Taiwan Society Chairman Wu Shuh-ming (
"We heard about this issue a month ago, but Lee's stance on the matter was expressed clearly in his speech on Sunday," Lin said.
Lin said that the presidential office had at no point contacted the TSU to discuss the matter.
TSU Legislator Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) said that the forming of such an alliance was just Democratic Progressive Party "election manipulation" aimed at swallowing up the TSU in the year-end elections.
"[The president] should attend to his duties and try to solve the cross-strait and economic problems facing the country rather than bringing up such a meaningless issue that is of no help to anyone," Lai said.
Meanwhile, the secretary-general of the Taiwan Society, Chet Yang (
Yang added that the establishment of such an alliance would be responding to calls from the public for the pro-localization powers to be united.
Yang said in a press conference that the president also told the society that he hoped the society would convey his will to learn and communicate with Lee to the former president.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
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