Hosts of a pro-independence radio show and some 30 grassroots supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) brought a petition with approximately 62,000 signatures to DPP headquarters yesterday in a bid to prevent the party from electing 11 DPP members as its legislative nominees, because the members have openly criticized the party.
Host Chang Tien-chun (章天軍) and a co-host known as "A-sheng" (阿生) told DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun that they understood the party cannot prevent the members from running in its legislative primary.
However, they urged the party to execute a primary poll excluding all independent voters and "light blue" supporters, because they said it would block the 11 members from winning the primary by removing a base of their support.
They added that "deep-green" supporters would not vote for the 11 members if they became legislative candidates in the year-end legislative election.
The campaign, called "Surgical Blade Action," was started last December by the radio show Taiwanese Club, aired on many national frequencies.
It was aimed at members of the DPP's former New Tide faction, including former legislators Tuan Yi-kang (
All are known for outspokenness and criticism of their party's actions and rhetoric.
Former legislators Lo Wen-chia (
In response to the group's request, Yu said that the party would take their views seriously, but did not say whether the party intended to act as the group requested.
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we