The opposition Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) alliance with the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP) is to remain unchanged following former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je's (柯文哲) release from detention yesterday, several KMT lawmakers said.
The strategic partnership with the TPP is to continue with the goal of ousting the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) from power in 2028, KMT Legislator Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) said.
Ko was granted release by the Taipei District Court yesterday after posting bail of NT$70 million (US$2.29 million).
Photo: Taipei Times
He had been held in incommunicado detention for a year on corruption charges following his two terms as Taipei mayor from 2014 to 2022.
There is no reason why the two parties cannot continue to work together, especially as Ko has now seen the extent of the DPP's manipulation of the judiciary, Wang said.
KMT Legislator Chang Chia-chun (張嘉郡) said the KMT and TPP have worked well together in the legislature on various livelihood issues, and she is confident they would continue their cooperation to advance policies that benefit the public and support the disadvantaged.
KMT spokesperson Crystal Yang (楊智伃) and the party's caucus Deputy Secretary-General Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said the KMT and TPP remain committed to the oversight of the ruling party.
Earlier yesterday, Ko thanked his supporters for standing by him over the past year, during which he said Taipei prosecutors found "nothing" incriminating, despite comprehensive searches targeting him, his family, his assistants and his party.
Ko was detained on Sept. 5 last year and indicted in December on four charges, including accepting bribes for a property redevelopment case while serving as Taipei mayor, and embezzling political donations during his presidential campaign in last year’s election.
Prosecutors are seeking a total sentence of 28.5 years for Ko, who has maintained his innocence throughout the investigation and his ongoing trial.
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
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
RSS