The preparatory committee of the tentatively-named Nonpartisan Solidarity Union (NSU) was established yesterday, bringing the country a step closer to seeing the formation of a new political party.
Former interior minister Chang Po-ya (
Chang said the establishment of the NSU will effectively offer a "third" or "middle-way" choice for the people of Taiwan, who have long been divided into only two groups -- either "pro-unification blue" or "pro-independence green."
The new party's 40-odd founders include some well-known politicians such as Chang, former Hsinchu mayor Shih Hsin-chung (
The NSU preparatory committee was to file a list of its founders yesterday with the Ministry of the Interior in the first step toward forming the new party, said Chiu Chuang-liang (邱創良), one of the founders.
Tsai Hao (
Tsai said the NSU is expected to flex its muscles in the year-end legislative elections and is determined to win more than 15 seats. The party will name no more than one candidate in each constituency in the elections, in hopes of winning more than 5 percent of the vote, Tsai said.
He added that all 10 members of the alliance will stand for re-election, which should quell speculation that the Democratic Progressive Party is trying to win over the alliance's support in the legislature by offering its members Cabinet positions or seats in the Control Yuan.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe