President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday accepted the role of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman, promising to lead the party to victory in next year's legislative and presidential elections.
Chen also announced that Deputy Presidential Office Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and DPP Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) would swap positions.
Chen told a press conference that the DPP position was not an extension of his powers, but rather of his responsibility, adding that he would like to see those insisting on Taiwan-centered policies and pursuing social justice continue to serve the 23 million people of Taiwan.
Describing his second job as being a "carrier of a sedan chair," Chen said he and DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) would not have problems coordinating their efforts because he felt that Hsieh should decide on matters of campaign strategy.
"Those who help carry the sedan chair must not drive away its occupant," he said. "The sedan's occupant gives orders and tells the carriers where to go, while the carriers must warn the occupant about any dangers so he can decide where to go."
Chen called former DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun irreplaceable, adding that it would be a pity if Yu did not participate in the campaign team.
Chen said that since he would be out of the country for four days, he had asked Cho to consult with Yu, Hsieh and his running mate Su Tseng-chang (
Chen said he hoped to recruit other talented people to work with the DPP and see outstanding legislators work for the party's goals.
Looking ahead, Chen said that the referendum on whether the nation should apply for UN membership under the name "Taiwan" would be the "goal and sole focal point" of the elections.
He said the Referendum Law (
With the DPP having reached the second phase of the application process for holding a referendum, Chen said that he hoped the referendum would be held alongside the presidential election on March 22.
Chen said that he did not think the Constitution would be amended or a new constitution enacted before March next year because the legislature had no plans to do so and because it would require approval of three quarters of the Legislative Yuan.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus ridiculed Chen for accepting the DPP chairmanship, saying that it would be easier for him to "embezzle" public funds once in control of both the DPP and the government.
At a separate press conference, KMT legislative whip Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) urged the president to reflect on his administrative performance over the past seven years as well as Standard & Poor's latest economic evaluation of the nation.
The ratings service gave Taiwan a negative outlook on Wednesday based on what is said were long-term problems, including cross-strait tensions. Of the Asia-Pacific countries rated in the report, only Taiwan and Fiji received negative ratings.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
UPDATED (3:40pm): A suspected gas explosion at a shopping mall in Taichung this morning has killed four people and injured 20 others, as emergency responders continue to investigate. The explosion occurred on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Situn District (西屯) at 11:33am. One person was declared dead at the scene, while three people were declared deceased later after receiving emergency treatment. Another 20 people sustained major or minor injuries. The Taichung Fire Bureau said it received a report of the explosion at 11:33am and sent rescuers to respond. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, it said. The National Fire
ACCOUNTABILITY: The incident, which occured at a Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store in Taichung, was allegedly caused by a gas explosion on the 12th floor Shin Kong Group (新光集團) president Richard Wu (吳昕陽) yesterday said the company would take responsibility for an apparent gas explosion that resulted in four deaths and 26 injuries at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zhonggang Store in Taichung yesterday. The Taichung Fire Bureau at 11:33am yesterday received a report saying that people were injured after an explosion at the department store on Section 3 of Taiwan Boulevard in Taichung’s Situn District (西屯). It sent 56 ambulances and 136 paramedics to the site, with the people injured sent to Cheng Ching Hospital’s Chung Kang Branch, Wuri Lin Shin Hospital, Taichung Veterans General Hospital or Chung
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘LAWFUL USE’: The last time a US warship transited the Taiwan Strait was on Oct. 20 last year, and this week’s transit is the first of US President Donald Trump’s second term Two US military vessels transited the Taiwan Strait from Sunday through early yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement, the first such mission since US President Donald Trump took office last month. The two vessels sailed south through the Strait, the ministry said, adding that it closely monitored nearby airspace and waters at the time and observed nothing unusual. The ministry did not name the two vessels, but the US Navy identified them as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch. The ships carried out a north-to-south transit from
RSS