Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman and leader of the anti-Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) campaign Shih Ming-teh (施明德) met United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) chairman Robert Tsao (曹興誠) on Ketagalan Boulevard yesterday, calling for a peaceful cross-strait coexistence.
The two discussed cross-strait relations and the nation's development during an outdoor forum held by the Home Party, which was formed last month by leaders of the demonstrations against Chen last year.
The establishment of the political party follows Shih's previous promise that his anti-Chen campaign would not form a political party nor recommend people to run in the legislative elections.
Shih last night compared Tsao with South Korean president-elect Lee Myung-bak, a former CEO of Hyundai Construction and Engineering, suggesting it would be better for an entrepreneur to lead the nation.
"The combination of two politicians only produces more politicians. Having entrepreneurs join the political stage would change the political environment for the better," Shih said.
"Both [DPP presidential candidate Frank] Hsieh (謝長廷) and [Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate] Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) compared themselves to Lee Myung-bak. I think Taiwan's Lee Myung-bak should be Mr Tsao," he said.
Tsao had no comment on that suggestion. But he reiterated his support for drafting a law that would provide a basis for peaceful cross-strait coexistence and safeguard Taiwan's democracy.
Tsao said the proposed law would resolve the cross-strait issue and end the political wrangling over independence versus unification, while ruling out a referendum on independence -- because that would be contrary to the nation's claim that it is already an independent and sovereign state.
Tsao earlier this month ran front-page ads in local newspapers suggesting that Hsieh and Ma work together to draft the law.
The ads sparked heated debate, with Chen slamming the idea as tantamount to capitulation to China.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
Another wave of cold air would affect Taiwan starting from Friday and could evolve into a continental cold mass, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Temperatures could drop below 10°C across Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday next week, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. Seasonal northeasterly winds could bring rain, he said. Meanwhile, due to the continental cold mass and radiative cooling, it would be cold in northern and northeastern Taiwan today and tomorrow, according to the CWA. From last night to this morning, temperatures could drop below 10°C in northern Taiwan, it said. A thin coat of snow
RSS