President William Lai (賴清德) today said that he would personally accept all criticism of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) shortcomings, following disappointing results in Saturday’s recall election.
During a meeting of the DPP Central Standing Committee, Lai in his capacity as party chairman apologized to all civic groups and DPP supporters who were involved in the recall effort, and thanked them for their hard work collecting petition signatures through scorching heat and pouring rain.
The recall vote — which saw all 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators on the ballot retain their offices — followed petitions from civil groups initiated according to the Constitution, he said, adding that the party and public must respectfully accept the nation’s decision.
Photo courtesy of the Democratic Progressive Party
As the ruling party, the DPP would take all public concerns that arose during the recall movement seriously, from the upholding of Constitutional and democratic order, to national security, he said.
Hopefully, movements would in the future involve further dialogue as opposed to confrontation, he added.
Lai acknowledged that Saturday’s result left many feeling disappointed, saying that he also felt regretful.
However, “we must turn this disappointment into bravery, hope and strength, while turning regret into determination to initiate reforms,” he added.
A further seven districts are set to host recall elections on Aug. 23.
Lai said he has instructed the party’s central office and local party officials in the relevant constituencies to stand side-by-side with every citizen and group working toward the next recall effort.
Also this afternoon, Lai formally accepted DPP Secretary-General Lin Yu-chang's (林右昌) resignation, which he tendered on Sunday after the recall defeat.
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Ho Po-wen (何博文) is to temporarily hold the position concurrently with his current role, Lai said.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
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Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
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