Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Steve Chan (詹啟賢) last night announced his decision to quit the post.
In a brief statement, he said he decided to leave the post as he has “completed the mission assigned for this phase.”
Earlier yesterday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) dismissed a media report that Chan would quit over her disavowal of an administrative contract that he secured from Ill-gotten Party Assets Committee Chairman Wellington Koo (顧立雄), which was said to be fully authorized by Hung, but which she later refused to sign.
The Chinese-language China Times published an exclusive report yesterday saying that Chan, who is in San Francisco, told its reporter that he felt “discontented and puzzled” when Hung told the media on Sunday last week that “nobody had supported the signing of an administrative contract with the committee except Chan.”
Chan told the newspaper that he was not alone in the many meetings and negotiations with Koo, as “people from Hung’s circle” were also there.
“If those around Hung had a different opinion, they should have spoken up during the negotiations, but no, they chose to say something different from what was agreed only afterward,” Chan was quoted as saying.
Chan was reportedly not pleased about Hung’s disclosure of the internal party discussion about the negotiations, saying the handling of the controversy “was extremely unwise.”
He said that he suspected someone from the party “deliberately fed the media with what was agreed during the negotiations, for a specific purpose.”
Hung’s handling of the issue was also heavily criticized by Chan.
“If the decision not to sign [the administrative contract with the committee] was right, then those who talked [Hung] out of signing it should shoulder the responsibility and consequences it might incur, rather than passing the buck to me,” he was quoted as saying.
The China Times said Chan would likely quit as the party’s vice chairman, as he said he would “do what [he] should do.”
In Taipei yesterday, Hung said Chan is “awfully important” to her and dismissed the report, asking the media not to “maliciously drive a wedge” between her and Chan.
Local media outlets first reported in the middle of last month that the committee and Chan, representing the KMT, had agreed to sign an administrative contract that would allow the handover of the party’s shares in Central Investment Co and its subsidiary Hsinyutai to the state, even though 45 percent of the shares would have to be transferred in the form of a donation.
The contract also had provisions concerning what would be done with the funds from the disposal of Central Investment Co’s assets.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man