The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) formed a taskforce yesterday to investigate the Papua New Guinea fund scandal and asked President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to offer a clear account of the matter.
Party Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) said the party hoped to begin the process in the next two days and have preliminary results before the inauguration of the new government on May 20.
Vice premier Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), foreign minister of foreign affairs James Huang (黃志芳) and former deputy minister of National Defense Ko Cheng-heng (柯承亨) resigned over the scandal on Tuesday.
Lee told reporters after the committee meeting that the party supported the judiciary investigation into the matter and would form a taskforce to look into the controversy.
“Our position is clear: We will not cover up the mistakes and the work of evildoers,” he said. “While we trust the judiciary investigation, it is equally important to protect the rights and procedural justice of the individuals involved.”
Describing the scandal as “ridiculous,” “off the beam” and “detestable,” Lee apologized to the public, saying the scandal had caused irredeemable damage, but that the party believed Chiou, Huang and Ko were innocent.
Instead of urging Chen to personally explain the case to the public, the DPP’s Central Standing Committee resolved to respect the judiciary inquiry and to establish a six-person taskforce to shed light on the matter
DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) had intended to file a petition asking the committee to request that Chen explain the situation to the public. DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) supported Chai’s suggestion. Hsieh said nobody would believe the DPP if the people involved were not compelled to tell the truth.
Describing the handling of the scandal as crude, Hsieh said it reflected the DPP administration’s arrogance of power.
Despite Hsieh’s support, Chai could not collect sufficient signatures for the proposal.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Mark Chen (陳唐山), invited by the committee to speak on the fund scandal, said it was unnecessary to ask President Chen to explain the matter as he had already stated his position clearly in a statement on Tuesday, saying that he knew very few details. Both Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and Chen Chi-sheng (陳繼盛), chairman of the DPP’s Arbitration Committee, concurred. Lu said the public should wait for the judiciary to uncover the remaining facts.
At a separate setting yesterday, aspiring DPP chairman Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏) said he would immediately halt his campaign activities and urged the party to find a way to respond to the escalating controversy over the scandal.
Saying it was more important to regain the trust of supporters than to elect a new party leader, Koo said the diplomatic blunder had delivered yet another blow to the image of the party.
Koo proposed that Hsieh call a meeting with all three candidates vying for the party’s top job to come up with a plan to limit the damage to the party.
Asked whether Koo would recommend to Hsieh that he postpone the election, Koo campaign manager Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟) said Koo did not intend to do so and that he would attend the TV debate on Saturday.
DPP Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) said yesterday that the election would likely go on as scheduled.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
RSS