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.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
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