The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Central Standing Committee on Wednesday passed a special resolution to allow people who have left or were kicked out of the party to rejoin before Feb. 17.
Applicants whose party membership has been revoked would not have to pay the previously required four years of party membership fees and could simply pay a one-time fee of NT$300, the KMT said.
Those who left the party voluntarily can apply to rejoin if it has been two years since their departure, the resolution said.
Those who had their party membership revoked for minor infractions of party rules, such as failure to pay dues, can apply to rejoin if it has been more than one-and-a-half years since they left, while those who lost their membership for more serious contraventions would only be allowed to reapply if three years have passed, it said.
People who rejoin the party through the resolution can register for party primaries and run for party committee posts six months after regaining their membership, it added.
A source in the party yesterday refuted reports that independent Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) had applied to rejoin the KMT.
Fu has not yet applied, the source said, adding that Fu was eligible to rejoin should he wish to.
The KMT revoked Fu’s membership in 2009 after he announced his intent to run for Hualien county commissioner on the KMT ticket without the party’s endorsement.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) on Wednesday said the resolution sought to bolster the party and solidarity within the KMT, adding that it was not intended to meet any one person’s needs.
Former KMT Central Disciplinary Committee members Wei Ping-cheng (魏平政) and Yen Ching-yuan (葉慶元) yesterday issued a joint statement opposing the resolution, saying that it bypasses the disciplinary committee.
The statement called on Chu not to open the party’s doors to former troublemakers or those who have contravened party regulations, warning that it would lead to more party members ignoring the central party’s rulings and making their own decisions in elections.
The KMT must maintain solidarity, but it should do so by uniting under a common ideology and not for personal interest, it said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to