The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said details of alleged illegal party assets that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) promised to release are only the “tip of the iceberg,” accusing the KMT of insincerity over its holdings.
KMT spokesperson Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said on Tuesday that the party would finish detailing its party assets by the end of the month.
However, DPP spokesperson Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) said the KMT is trying to deceive the public.
“According to an Executive Yuan report, the KMT’s party assets include 834 plots worth more than NT$31.1 billion [US$992 million] according to land evaluations made in 2006,” Huang said. “In addition, it also possesses more than 152 buildings across the country.”
“The KMT is only willing to take care of 229 properties, which is less than a quarter of what it has,” Huang said. “If this is not an insincere move, what is?”
Huang said the KMT also earns income from the rent or sale of properties.
“What [KMT Chairman] Eric Chu (朱立倫) plans to take care of is only the tip of the iceberg of the KMT’s party assets,” Huang said.
Huang also accused Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) of breaking a promise made in March to publicize a list of the KMT’s assets.
Huang urged the government and the KMT to stop dodging the assets issue.
“I’m sure that people would look forward to electing a legislature with candidates from the progressive camp, so that legislation on illegal party assets could be adopted and the assets could be returned to the people,” Huang said.
The issue involves mostly properties belonging to the former Japanese colonial government in Taiwan, which were supposed to be taken over by the Republic of China government. However, many of the properties fell into KMT hands instead.
In other news, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) urged President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to focus more on what he is doing now after the president said during a meeting with former US vice president Dan Quayle on Tuesday that the development of cross-strait relations would become unpredictable if the next government does not continue with established policies.
“I have stated my cross-strait policies clearly: While keeping Taiwan democratic and free, and keeping its constitutional order, we would strive to maintain stable and peaceful relations across the Taiwan Strait,” Tsai said. “I’ve said this several times already and it is supported by most Taiwanese.”
“I would urge the president to focus on running the government, especially since he is yet to fulfill his political promises,” Tsai said. “He should work hard instead of making comments on a government that is yet to be elected.”
‘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
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
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
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
RSS