Independent Chiayi Mayor Chen Li-chen (
Chen's action intensified the political divide between the north and south of the country as the former is dominated by the KMT, whereas the latter is predominantly controlled by the DPP.
The DPP is actively seeking to expand its regional influence ahead of next year's presidential election.
With two mass inductions of the nation's movers and shakers into the party since last July when President Chen Shui-bian (
The mayor said at yesterday's induction ceremony, presided over by DPP Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung (
Chiayi City politics has been dominated by the independent Hsu family for two decades, starting from Hsu Shih-hsian (
Chen served as the acting mayor when Chang Po-ya was invited to become a Cabinet member in 2000. She then won the mayoral election due to the support of the Hsu family faction in December 2001.
Chen said she chose to join the party owing to her connections with the Hsu family, which has been aligned with the DPP for the past 20 years.
Although Chang Po-ya has been alienated from the DPP which she blamed for her falied bid to become vice president of the Examination Yuan last summer, Chen said Chang respected her decision.
Chang Chun-hsiung praised Chen's ability as a public servant who had spared no effort to push for Chiayi's development.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
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