Weighed down by the indictment of first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) for alleged corruption, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters and caucus yesterday remained quiet and appeared to be in low spirits.
When approached by the press in the Legislature yesterday morning, DPP Legislator Lin Cho-shui (
Former DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康), known for his outspokenness, said in a phone interview that a consensus was reached in a Friday night meeting that DPP members would not accept media interviews on the matter.
DPP Legislator Lee Wen-chung (李文忠) also refused to comment on the indictment or on details of the meeting when quizzed by members of the press over the telephone.
DPP Legislator Lin Kuo-ching (林國慶) said that he found it difficult to believe that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) could be involved in corruption.
DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun said at a campaign event yesterday that the party respected the judiciary, but "the judicial judgment may not necessarily be correct."
In contrast to the depressed mood among DPP legislators, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday again urged Chen to resign as soon as possible and allow Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) to succeed to the presidency.
KMT Legislator Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍) said that Chen had lost the public's support. According to the latest opinion polls conducted by the Chinese-language China Times, United Daily News and TVBS, 60 percent of respondents believed Chen should step down.
Hsu urged DPP lawmakers and party heavyweights to distance themselves from Chen "to save the DPP's future."
Hsu told a press conference that social stability would be better guaranteed if Chen resigned, adding that the KMT caucus would continue pushing a third recall motion in the Legislature tomorrow if Chen insisted on staying put.
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), which said on Friday that it would support the pan-blues' proposal to recall Chen, said yesterday that it would not support the pan-blues' demand that Chen step down within 48 hours or else they would initiate a recall motion against him.
Chen should be given time so he can explain his side of story, the TSU said yesterday.
Meanwhile, DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Frank Hsieh (
During the event, Hsieh said that he believed all the difficulties would eventually be overcome given that the "state affairs fund" case is now being handled by the judiciary.
Hsieh's TSU counterpart Clara Chou (
In the letter, Lee, regarded by the TSU as its spiritual leader, said that he did not support the "corrupt and incompetent DPP" and that "Taiwan will be beyond redemption if voters support the corrupt DPP."
The letter ended with a call urging voters to cast their ballots for Chou.
DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Chen Chu (
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Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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