The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday denied media personality Clara Chou (周玉蔻) a chance to present herself at the party’s Central Standing Committee meeting to appeal against her expulsion from the party.
The Evaluation and Discipline Committee of the party’s Taipei chapter on Tuesday decided to expel Chou from the party, with chapter director Chung Tse-liang (鍾則良) saying that remarks made by Chou during the campaigns leading up to the nine-in-one election on Nov. 29 had damaged the party’s reputation.
Chou has alleged that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) accepted an off-the-books political donation of NT$200 million (US$6.29 million) from Ting Hsin International Group (頂新國際集團) during his re-election campaign in 2012.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Ma has denied the allegation and filed criminal and civil suits against Chou on Tuesday.
Earlier yesterday, Chou said she was like a person drowning after being put into a bag and thrown into the sea.
“I had no chance to fight back,” she said.
Chou was among 21 KMT members who were stripped of party membership on Tuesday for what the party said were violations of various party rules during the campaign.
Asked to respond to Chou’s comments, KMT spokesperson Charles Chen (陳以信) said anyone who was not happy with the decision made by the party’s Evaluation and Discipline Committee could appeal against the ruling in accordance with established procedures.
Meanwhile, former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) yesterday posted an article on Facebook rebutting Chou’s allegation that he had tried to intervene in the battle for ownership of Chang Hwa Bank (彰化銀行) between Taishin Financial Holdings (台新金控) and the Ministry of Finance in Taishin’s favor because he had dined with Chang Hwa Bank chairman Thomas Wu (吳東亮) last year.
Lo said the meeting was arranged by Chou and accused her of setting him up.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
RSS