The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday that it had collected 2.45 million signatures in the second phase of its petition on a referendum proposal seeking UN membership for Taiwan.
DPP Legislator Hsieh Hsin-ni (
The DPP needs to amass more than 800,000 signatures to make the referendum valid. Once the signatures have been validated by the commission, the referendum would be held in conjunction with the presidential election on March 22.
While the DPP proposed joining the UN using the name "Taiwan," the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has suggested using the nation's official title, "Republic of China," or any other "practical" title that would uphold the country's dignity, to "return" to the UN.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people joined the DPP yesterday, including 86-year-old grandmother Huang Po-yun (黃波雲).
With President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen said the DPP did not have the massive amount of party assets the KMT had, nor did it have any spoils to divide between members.
"Your decision to join the DPP today stems from identification with the party's founding spirt and ideas. It is not a trade-off of interests," Chen said.
The president said he was glad the DPP had garnered more than 1 million signatures for its referendum petition since he took over as party chairman on Oct. 17.
"There is only one Taiwan," Chen said. "It is yours, mine, the DPP's and that of the 23 million people of Taiwan. As long as you identify with this land and the nation, everybody has the responsibility to protect Taiwan, its sovereignty, dignity and safety, regardless of your political party, ethnic group or career."
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
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
RSS