The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Central Evaluation Committee on Thursday expelled 50 party members, including former legislator Julian Kuo (郭正亮) and agricultural blogger Lin Yu-hung (林裕紘).
The committee said in a statement that the 50 expelled party members either contravened party rules by campaigning for other political parties during elections or were involved in #MeToo sex scandals. It added that although some had announced they were withdrawing from the DPP, the disciplinary committee still needed to officially revoke their memberships.
The unanimous decision by the committee to expel the members was made following discussions about their conduct in the 2022 local elections and this year’s presidential and legislative elections, the committee said.
Photo: Chien Jung-feng, Taipei Times
Kuo, one of the former high-profile DPP lawmakers to get the boot, is known for his harsh criticism of the party on various political TV shows. Kuo announced his withdrawal from the DPP in May last year, saying he had gradually moved away from the party.
Lin, another well-known party member, was kicked out after being accused of enlisting people to send him hoax death threats amid controversies related to a government-funded egg import program last year.
In addition, Hung Chih-kun (洪智坤), Tsai Mu-lin (蔡沐霖) and Chen Yu-hao (陳右豪) were expelled for their alleged involvement in sexual misconduct scandals.
Meanwhile, Chou Yu-hsiu (周榆修), a former aide to DPP lawmaker Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) and the ex-deputy head of the party’s youth branch, who was nominated by the Taiwan People’s Party as one of its legislator-at-large candidates in this year’s elections, was also kicked out.
In addition to the 50 expelled party members, the disciplinary committee also decided to suspend the memberships of 37 party members for a year.
Committee chairman Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) said the country is facing a new set of challenges after the Jan. 13 presidential election, so the party has zero tolerance for those who contravenes party rules.
Lai urged party members to take note of the party platform and unite in the fight to safeguard Taiwan’s freedom, democracy, peace and prosperity.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS