Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislator and founding party member Tsai Pi-ju (蔡壁如) said today that she has decided to run for the party’s Central Committee.
Tsai currently serves as an advisor to the Taichung City Government and has informed Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) of her resignation, she said.
TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who has been detained during an investigation into a corruption case involving Core Pacific City, sent a letter of resignation from his position as party chairman with the approval of the Taipei District Court.
Photo: Chang Hsuan-tse, Taipei Times
The TPP’s newly elected Central Committee is to decide whether to elect a new chairperson next month.
After working closely with Ko for more than 20 years, Tsai said she was disheartened when he was detained and restricted from communicating with others.
She considered continuing her role as an advisor, but colleagues and friends reminded her that she has a responsibility to the party as one of its founding members, she said.
Tsai would help build an internal consensus about what direction the party should take heading into 2026, she said.
If the party becomes stronger and its polling improves, it could save both the party and Ko, she said.
Ko’s decision to step down as chairman was made with careful consideration and out of love for the party, Tsai said.
Ko would always be chairman in her eyes and the Central Committee wants to convince him to maintain his position, but his detention has made communication challenging, she said.
Tsai said she would take good care of the party in Ko’s absence so that he could smoothly resume the role of chairman when he returns.
She also vowed to support anyone willing to step up to the challenging role of chairperson.
The party cannot be without leadership, and she would be willing to take on the role of chair herself if others supported her, Tsai said.
Tsai said that her household registration would remain in Taichung’s Cingshuei District (清水) and she would stay engaged in local affairs as promised.
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
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
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
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
RSS