Thousands gathered in Taipei yesterday to support Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who has been indicted on corruption charges, and to voice anger over what they say is “political persecution” by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government.
On a wintry and drizzly day, supporters of the party assembled at Liberty Square, with many spilling onto the adjacent Zhongshan S Road, to show their solidarity with the former Taipei mayor.
Organizers claimed more than 150,000 people took part in the event.
Photo: CNA
Against a stage backdrop showing a picture of a solemn-looking President William Lai (賴清德) and the Presidential Office Building, many attendees decried what organizers said was the political persecution of Ko by the government.
TPP Acting Chairman and Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said the main purpose of the rally was to “call out the green authoritarianism.”
“Regardless of party affiliations, the people of Taiwan should come together to demand that President Lai stop reaching his hands into the judiciary and give us back a pure and independent judicial system,” he added.
Photo: CNA
Ko, 65, was indicted by Taipei prosecutors on Dec. 26 on charges of bribery and other forms of corruption in connection with real estate dealings during his second term as Taipei mayor from 2018 to 2022. He is currently detained.
He is also charged with embezzling political donations to the TPP during his campaign for president in last year’s election, and is facing jail time of up to 28.5 years.
Ko received 3.69 million votes in the election, behind Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), who received 4.67 million votes.
Photo: CNA
Ko resigned as TPP chairman on Jan. 1.
After accepting the party’s leadership, Huang called for the rally yesterday, which was Judicial Day in Taiwan.
Several lawmakers from the largest opposition party, the KMT, which has worked with the TPP to push through several bills in the legislature, also showed their support at the event.
Among the KMT lawmakers present were Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介), Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲), Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) and Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強).
Hsieh accused the DPP government of using the judicial system as a tool for political gain, adding that if the government had targeted Ko, then it might go after him or any other person.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) called the TPP’s event “ridiculous” during a news conference yesterday morning.
DPP spokesperson Wu Cheng (吳崢) last week said that it was “regrettable” that the TPP and KMT seek to “attack the judicial system” and “rationalize [their] corrupt practices,” when their members were embroiled in legal cases.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or