Former People First Party (PFP) Legislator Lee Ching-hua (
Speaking at the KMT's headquarters after meeting with Lien, Lee said Lien had welcomed him back to the KMT.
"Chairman Lien has been paying close attention to me recently, and in our conversation, he also said that he welcomes me back to the KMT," Lee said.
Given that Lien's offer seemed heartfelt and that a large number of his supporters have expressed a wish to see him back in the KMT, Lee said he would consider his options and make a decision soon.
Lee left the KMT 12 years ago to be one of the founding members of the New Party. He later joined the PFP.
Despite his departure, Lee said his sister, PFP Legislator Diane Lee (
Diane Lee said yesterday that she plans to remain in the PFP and she wishes her brother well should he return to the KMT.
"To say that someone has changed, one needs to look at whether or not his principles have changed and not whether he has changed the party that he is in," she said in response to queries about her brother's political journey from one party to another.
The Lien meeting clarified some of the questions raised by Lee Ching-hua's departure from the PFP on Wednesday.
He announced his departure by saying that he was unhappy with the PFP's political direction. His departure came after rumors of conflict between him and the party over the PFP's dismal performance in last Saturday's National Assembly elections.
The PFP secured only 18 of the 40 seats it had targeted, leading Lee and several other legislators to openly criticize the party's leadership. They said it had been a mistake to have been friendly with the Democratic Progressive Party.
Adding to the PFP's troubles, media rumors yesterday had the party's holding a meeting to decide whether or not to discipline Chiu for criticizing the party.
Since Saturday, Chiu has said that he plans to leave the party and may form a new party.
Chiu said yesterday that he has already made his decision but is not yet ready to say what it is. He said he will make an announcement on Monday.
Police have issued warnings against traveling to Cambodia or Thailand when others have paid for the travel fare in light of increasing cases of teenagers, middle-aged and elderly people being tricked into traveling to these countries and then being held for ransom. Recounting their ordeal, one victim on Monday said she was asked by a friend to visit Thailand and help set up a bank account there, for which they would be paid NT$70,000 to NT$100,000 (US$2,136 to US$3,051). The victim said she had not found it strange that her friend was not coming along on the trip, adding that when she
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The Civil Aviation Administration yesterday said that it is considering punishments for China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines for making hard landings and overworking their cabin crew when the nation was hit by Typhoon Kong-rey in October last year. The civil aviation authority launched an investigation after media reported that many airlines were forced to divert their flights to different airports or go around after failing to land when the typhoon affected the nation on Oct. 30 and 31 last year. The agency reviewed 503 flights dispatched by Taiwanese airlines during those two days, as well as weather data, flight hours
Three people have had their citizenship revoked after authorities confirmed that they hold Chinese ID cards, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said yesterday. Two of the three people were featured in a recent video about Beijing’s “united front” tactics by YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯) and Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源), including Su Shi-en (蘇士恩), who displayed a Chinese ID card in the video, and taekwondo athlete Lee Tung-hsien (李東憲), who mentioned he had obtained a Chinese ID card in a telephone call with Chen, Liang told the council’s weekly news conference. Lee, who reportedly worked in
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