The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday filed a lawsuit against columnist Yao Ching-feng (姚清峰) for allegedly defaming the party and breaching the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法).
In an article titled “A Blue and White Majority Would Spiral the Legislature Into Chaos” that was published on Thursday by news Web site Newtalk (新頭殼), Yao said that Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who is also TPP chairman, was “a comrade of China.”
The color blue in Taiwanese politics generally represents the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), while white denotes the third-party force led by Ko.
Photo: Chien Li-chung, Taipei Times
TPP spokesperson Chen You-cheng (陳宥丞) yesterday said that his party must defend itself against baseless accusations online, which could harm party interests.
The TPP has decided to sue anyone, whether during the election campaign or after the polls, who tries to slander the party or insinuate in any way that it is connected with China, Chen said.
The article’s claims that the TPP’s political stance is identical to that of China or the KMT are fabrications, TPP legislator-at-large nominee Chang Chi-lu (張其祿) said.
“The party fully supports the nation’s sovereignty and sides with Taiwanese,” Chang said, adding that the party would never side with China to oppress Taiwan.
The TPP on Wednesday also filed lawsuits against some Internet users for allegedly defaming the party and breaching the act.
The netizens posted parts of a China Central Television political talk show The Two Sides of the Strait (海峽兩岸) on Professional Technology Temple, the nation’s biggest online academic bulletin board system. During the show, the TPP was mentioned and described by guests as “a key minority party.”
The party is suing the Internet users because it wants to condemn actions in line with Beijing’s goal of creating dissent within Taiwan, Chang said.
The show did not once express support for the party, the TPP said.
That the analysis could be interpreted by Wang Hao (汪浩), a guest on the show, and others as an endorsement of the TPP becoming “a key minority party in the legislature” is absurd and ill-intentioned, the TPP said.
The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China
Taiwan’s Li Yu-hsiang performs in the men’s singles figure skating short program at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday. Li finished 24th with a score of 72.41 to advance to Saturday’s free skate portion of the event. He is the first Taiwanese to qualify for the free skate of men’s singles figure skating at the Olympics since David Liu in 1992.
Garbage and recycling schedules are to vary from Saturday through Sunday next week over the Lunar New Year holiday period. The following collection information is from the governments of the six special municipalities. Taipei Regular service: Sunday to Monday next week. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Extra service: Friday next week. Regular service resumes: Saturday next week. New Taipei City Extra service: Sunday. Adjusted collection time: Monday next week — garbage collection is to begin in the morning and end at 6pm. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Regular service resumes: Friday next week. Note: Garbage can be dropped off at 70
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday held a ceremony marking the delivery of its 11th Anping-class offshore patrol vessel Lanyu (蘭嶼艦), saying it would boost Taiwan’s ability to respond to Beijing’s “gray zone” tactics. Ocean Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chang Chung-Lung (張忠龍) presided over the CGA event in the Port of Kaoshiung. Representatives of the National Security Council also attended the event. Designed for long-range and protracted patrol operations at sea, the Lanyu is a 65.4m-long and 14.8m-wide ship with a top speed of 44 knots (81.5kph) and a cruising range of 2,000 nautical miles (3704km). The vessel is equipped with a
RSS