Human rights lawyer Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) yesterday stepped down as New Power Party (NPP) chairman to take responsibility for the departure of Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) and an alleged conflict of interest case involving a former assistant of legislator Kawlo Iyun Pacidal.
Chiu, who assumed the chairmanship in March, said that for the past several months he had tried to help party members reach a consensus on how to safeguard Taiwan’s sovereignty, keep the ruling party in check and secure the NPP’s autonomy.
“Unfortunately, Lim still left the party. It showed that my efforts were not enough to convince certain members or to ensure effective internal dialogue,” he said. “I deeply regret that and must take responsibility for it.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Although the party on Thursday finalized a decision to revoke Kawlo’s membership, which she is challenging, the incident has already tarnished the party’s image, he said.
“Since Kawlo was placed first on the party’s legislators-at-large list, the party must accept its responsibility,” he said, adding that the best way to do it was for him to shoulder the responsibility.
As a founding member of the NPP, he understands the importance of building a third force in Taiwan to counter the two major parties and solidify the nation’s democracy, he said.
“Unfortunately, due to my inadequacies, I was not able to lead the party to complete its mission,” he said.
Recent incidents within the NPP have led to doubts and disappointment among its supporters and members of the public, he said.
Hopefully, the new chairperson would find an effective way to resolve internal conflicts and help the party win in next year’s elections, he said.
Chiu added that he would continue to work for the NPP and, if necessary, stand for election in especially challenging constituencies.
He concluded the news conference by bowing and apologizing to supporters and the public, but did not answer media queries.
Asked when the party would elect a new chairperson and who would be the acting chairperson, NPP spokesman Lee Chao-li (李兆立) said the party’s decisionmaking committee would elect a new chairperson from its 15 members.
The 15 include caucus whip Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明), legislator Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸), Taipei City Councilor Lin Liang-chun (林亮君) and NPP Kaohsiung chapter head Chen Hui-min (陳惠敏).
NPP Legislator and former chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) is not a committee member.
While Chiu had named Kawlo as one of the reasons he decided to resign, Lee said the Amis legislator is still an NPP member.
Kawlo has appealed the party’s decision to revoke her membership through internal as well as external channels, he said, adding that whether she is to be removed from the party will depend on how the appeals turn out.
Chiu’s stated reasons for resigning “do not seem like reasons,” Hung said after Chiu’s announcement.
She added that she would try to understand the real reason and hope that Chiu would stay as chairman until the end of the general elections.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS