In an effort to rein in maverick politicians that have vowed to "go it alone" in the year-end legislative elections, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is now shifting its plans to negotiate with these individuals into overdrive in an attempt to lessen the possible impact on the pan-blue alliance's election strategy.
"We will, in principle, try our best to communicate and mediate with them," said Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Three incumbent KMT legislators who lost Sunday's primary for the December legislative elections have vowed they will launch independent campaigns. Among them, KMT Legislator Tseng Tsai Mei-tsuo (
KMT Legislator Chang Tsai-mei (
Lin made no comments in response to Chang's accusation against him.
Meanwhile, Tseng Tsai yesterday reiterated her determination to run in the year-end legislative elections "to the very end."
"I think there is no way [for me to get party nomination]," said Tseng Tsai, after visiting with Lin yesterday to discuss the possibility of receiving the party's nomination.
According to Tseng Tsai, Lin said that due to primary regulations, there's no room left for her to be considered by the party for nomination.
Saying that she has been a KMT member for the past 40 years, Tseng Tsai said that she would always remain a KMT member; and that she will only leave the party if it chooses not to keep her.
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
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