The DPP yesterday reprimanded two of its lawmakers-at-large for being involved in vote-buying allegations which has tarnished the party's image.
The two lawmakers-at-large are Chen Sheng-hung (陳勝宏) and the party's old guard Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏), a former DPP secretary-general. Both were accused by Su Hui-chen (蘇惠珍), the majority shareholder of the Zanadau Development Corp of accepting bribes from her during the party's primaries for nominating legislators at large last year.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen made the statement at the party's Central Standing Committee meeting. He urged all party members to display exemplary conduct to protect the party's image and suggested that the party amend its nomination procedures for legislators-at-large to decrease the chances that its candidates would be susceptible to bribes.
The committee yesterday held disciplinary discussions on Chen Sheng-hung and Chang based on an internal investigation undertaken by five lawyers which specified that the two had different degrees of involvement in the bribery scam.
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Chin-yung (
"There is no evidence showing Chang might have been aware of the vote-buying scam or have participated in it, while the investigators deemed that Chen Sheng-hung was actually aware of the plot," Lee said.
Chang told reporters yesterday that he found the party's condemnation unacceptable and reproached the party for failing to exercise good judgment.
"I'll reserve my right to seek an appeal," Chang said.
Chen Sheng-hung yesterday issued a press release denying the vote-buying charges, and claimed that he would commit suicide if he were guilty.
Meanwhile, the DPP yesterday remained tightlipped about the nomination for a candidate to run for the by-election of the Hualien County commissioner while the pan-blue alliance announced Hsieh Shen-shan (謝深山), a former KMT secretary-general, will join the race.
Lee Chin-yung said yesterday that "since the registration date for the by-election starts tomorrow, the party is expected to announce its nominee by then."
Amid the pan-blue camp's announcement to designate Hsieh as the candidate, Lee said, "We hope that the KMT and PFP can reinforce their integration and avoid any internal clashes, which would otherwise obscure the focus of the election."
"We expect that it will be a gentleman's competition between the blue camp and the DPP through the debate on public policies in order to win recognition from the residents of Hualien," Lee said.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a seminar in Taipei for experts from Taiwan and Japan to exchange their experiences on the designs and development of public toilets. Japan Toilet Association chairman Kohei Yamamoto said that he was impressed with the eco-toilet set up at Daan Forest Park, adding that Japan still faces issues regarding public restrooms despite the progress it made over the past decades. For example, an all-gender toilet was set up in Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District several years ago, but it caused a public backlash and was rebuilt into traditional men’s and women’s toilets, he said. Japan Toilet Association
RSS