Lin Chih-chien (林智堅), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate for Taoyuan mayor, yesterday announced his withdrawal from the race after National Taiwan University (NTU) on Tuesday revoked his master’s degree over charges of plagiarism.
DPP Legislator Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) is to run in his place.
The DPP’s Election Strategy Committee earlier yesterday convened an emergency meeting to discuss the election in November as controversy over the plagiarism charges continued, after which it held a news conference to confirm Lin’s withdrawal.
Photo: Liu Hsin-te, Taipei Times
Lin, a former Hsinchu mayor, made the decision after the university revoked his master’s degree on the recommendation of its academic ethics committee, which found that he had plagiarized the thesis of another graduate student, Yu Cheng-huang (余正煌).
At the news conference, Lin apologized for causing “social turmoil and anxiety” over the past few weeks, saying he would not like to see his “insufficient efforts and writing flaws” affect NTU and sow discord in society.
Public attacks over a personal issue have taken over space for discussing public issues, which is unfair to Taoyuan residents, as their needs have been ignored, he said.
The political achievements of Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) have been overlooked, because of the dispute over his thesis, he said, adding that he “would hate to see Taiwan stop moving forward” because of him.
He thanked President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Cheng Wen-tsan and DPP committee members for their understanding, and apologized to his supporters for letting them down, calling on them to support Cheng Yun-peng in the election.
Although he has dropped out of the race, Lin vowed to prove his innocence by seeking legal relief.
DPP Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) said the president, who is the DPP chairperson, expressed regret over Lin’s withdrawal and believes that he is innocent.
DPP committee members support Lin Chih-chien’s decision to fight for his innocence and would “quickly regroup and steer the election back to its path,” he said.
The members all agreed that Cheng Yun-peng, who was Lin Chih-chien’s campaign manager, could continue Cheng Wen-tsan’s good work and join the campaign immediately, as he is one of the most experienced legislators and understands Taoyuan well, he said.
Cheng Yun-peng said that the nomination “is an honor, but also a responsibility.”
During the time he worked on Lin Chih-chien’s campaign, he realized that Taiwan should take on more responsibility in today’s world so that Taoyuan and Hsinchu could move forward together, he said.
Legislators from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party called on Tsai to “come forward” and apologize for the scandal.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua
Taiwan does not exclude the possibility of having formal diplomatic relations with countries that also have formal ties with China, regardless of Beijing’s stance, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said on Sunday. There was speculation in 2012 that Honduras was attempting to have simultaneous diplomatic relations with Taiwan and China, an idea that then-minister of foreign affairs David Lin (林永樂) rejected. Honduras severed formal ties with Taiwan on Sunday morning after establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing. President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has taken a more practical approach to relations with like-minded countries since assuming government in 2016. Previous administrations took the
Seven senior faculty members, including the principal, of a high school in Taichung were temporarily suspended from their jobs on Friday, pending an investigation by the Taichung Education Bureau into alleged bullying and abuse that led to the suicide of a student last month. The city’s education officials were too slow to suspend those involved, the student’s father told a news conference on Wednesday, at which Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) and members of the Humanistic Education Foundation were also present. The boy had been a good student and a high achiever during elementary and junior-high, and had
ORIGIN UNKNOWN: The Leofoo Village Theme Park and Taipei Zoo have accounted for their baboons, as authorities continue a 12-day capture attempt Authorities in Taoyuan are searching for a non-native baboon, possibly of the chacma species, that has been spotted several times in the city’s Pingjhen District (平鎮) over the past 12 days, and was most recently seen in coastal Sinwu District (新屋). The baboon was first spotted near a local factory on March 10 in central Taoyuan, Jhensing Borough Warden Huang Chih-chieh (黃志杰) said. Huang said he requested the Leofoo Village Theme Park’s help after a second sighting on Saturday. In other sightings, the baboon raided fruit and vegetable gardens on private property, and has evaded one capture attempt via a tranquilizer dart. Media reported
Taiwan would have established formal relations with Argentina long ago if not for China’s interference, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yui told US-based Spanish-language online news outlet Infobae in an interview published on Tuesday. Beijing has left behind a string of unfulfilled promises in Latin America, including pledges to build the Grand Nicaragua Canal and airports, docks, ports and industrial zones in El Salvador, he said. Meanwhile, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and other countries enjoy pragmatic and improving relations with Taiwan based on cooperation on the economy, culture, technology and science, he said. While Taiwan is “happy to live and let live,”