Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) yesterday admitted to leaking a private text conversation between DPP lawmakers about draft legislation on same-sex marriage, with party members downplaying the incident and describing the leak as a well-intentioned blunder.
Taipei City Councilor Chung Hsiao-ping (鍾小平) on Monday released a set of screen grabs from a private group chat by the DPP legislative caucus on the messaging application, Line, revealing DPP legislators discussions about the possible repercussions of the legislation.
DPP legislators Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康), Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) and Julian Kuo (郭正亮) had been debating the effect of the same-sex marriage legislation on the party’s electoral performance, with Chung criticizing the DPP for seeking political gain by pushing the legislation.
Tuan, who withdrew from the group chat immediately after the conversation was exposed, was criticized for currying favor with young voters with the legislation after Chung wrote that the DPP’s approval ratings among young voters would be “moved to the intensive care unit” in less than six months and the party would lose the support of the younger generation to the New Power Party if it does not handle the same-sex marriage issue properly.
Lo yesterday admitted to leaking the private conversation to a friend, a priest who has questioned the DPP’s stance on same-sex marriage.
In an apology sent to the DPP caucus chat group, Lo said he sent the screen shots of the conversation to the friend in a bid to communicate with him about DPP policy, but that the screen shots later went viral.
He apologized for the leak and its consequences, and quit the chat group to rebuild trust among caucus members.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said Lo’s attempt to get the party’s policy across was out of good intentions and his apology was sincere, so Lo had earned the forgiveness of all of the DPP’s legislators.
Saying that she forgave Lo immediately after he owned up to the leak, Kuan added that caucus members trust each other.
“The event was caused by negligence and there is no factor that could ruin the trust between us,” Kuan said.
The incident was a “blessing in disguise,” as Internet users had supported the party for its in-depth discussion of social issues, she said.
DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said the incident showed that the party is democratic and progressive, as caucus members engaged in a rational debate about a key issue to come up with a viable solution.
“The DPP does not excuse itself from the controversial issue of marriage equality, but instead takes the initiative to lead the legislation,” she said.
Chung and former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), who also accused Tuan of manipulating the same-sex marriage issue, are seeking political gain by voicing criticism of the DPP over the incident, as both are competing for the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) nomination for the Taipei mayoral election next year, Wu said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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