Former Premier Frank Hsieh (
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Shih-chien (
Although the DPP has targeted Hsieh from the beginning as the party's ideal candidate for the Taipei election, Hsieh has repeatedly said that he has no intention of running. The DPP ended up in an embarrassing situation as no candidate came forward to register for the party primary last month.
Stance softened
Wang noted that when he called on Hsieh on Monday, Hsieh asked him about his views on joining the Taipei mayoral election and he felt that Hsieh's insistence that he would not run had softened.
Wang said Hsieh has a great attachment to the DPP, noting that he took part in the drafting of the party's name and platform when it was founded in 1986.
However, in view of the party's slipping approval rating following a spate of corruption allegations involving President Chen Shui-bian's (
It would be positive for the DPP if the party could hang on to its seats in the city councilor elections, he added.
Whether elected or not, Hsieh would then probably be shut out of the 2008 presidential election, he said.
Morale boost
DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun echoed Wang's views, saying that Hsieh's participation would give the morale of the party a great boost, as Hsieh has a broad base of support among grassroots supporters.
Saying that Hsieh had often taken on the most daunting tasks for the party during its most difficult times, Yu expressed his admiration for him.
Yu also lauded Hsieh's "Kaohsiung experience," which he claimed could contribute a great deal to the development of Taipei.
He claimed Taipei's development had been "very limited" over the past eight years since President Chen lost his re-election bid as Taipei mayor in 1998, adding that if Hsieh could serve as Taipei mayor, he would not only save the floundering party but would also put the city "on a par with other metropolises."
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
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
Taiwan-based publisher Li Yanhe (李延賀) has been sentenced to three years in prison, fined 50,000 yuan (US$6,890) in personal assets and deprived political rights for one year for “inciting secession” in China, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said today. The Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court announced the verdict on Feb. 17, Chen said. The trial was conducted lawfully, and in an open and fair manner, he said, adding that the verdict has since come into legal effect. The defendant reportedly admitted guilt and would appeal within the statutory appeal period, he said, adding that the defendant and his family have
RSS