The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday announced that its Taipei chapter chairperson election has been suspended until President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) takes over as party chair following her second inauguration on Wednesday next week.
Former legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌) and former Taipei city councilor Wang Hsiao-wei (王孝維) have accused each other of bribery, with Wang alleging that Hsueh’s campaign team was behind reports of his criminal record 42 years ago.
The disciplinary committee investigating the issue reported its findings to the DPP Central Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday, stating that the fighting between the two campaigns was detrimental to party unity.
While both camps have toned down their allegations after warnings, the feud has damaged the party’s reputation in the public’s eye, the report said.
Article 22 of the DPP’s Regulations on Disciplinary Committee Rulings states that allegations on the party or its members failing to pass through proper channels within the party and ultimately causing the loss of reputation for the individual is punishable by deprivation of party privileges for up to two years.
DPP Chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) had given Hsueh and Wang until 8pm on Wednesday to reach an agreement not to slander the other or the Taipei election would be suspended, while other party elections would proceed as scheduled.
It was regrettable that Hsueh and Wang could not exercise more self-restraint and refrain from further attacks, Cho said.
The DPP must ensure the smooth progression, as well as the legality, of elections of party positions, he said.
“We must live up to the public’s expectations of what the DPP should be — a responsible political party that supports democracy,” he said.
All members should abide by party regulations and defend the party’s values, he added.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
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