The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) today called on its supporters to protest the Taipei District Court’s “politically motivated” ruling last night to keep former party chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) in detention after the High Court again revoked the district court’s bail decision on Wednesday.
TPP Acting Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that the party is calling on supporters nationwide to assemble at Taipei’s Freedom Square at 2pm on Jan. 11, Judicial Day, to call for Ko’s release and an independent judiciary process.
Huang accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of “green authoritarianism” and said that the party is undermining Taiwan’s judicial freedoms by using the court as a political tool.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The court’s rulings are contradictory, the prosecutors are biased, and the judge faced political pressure to keep Ko and his codefendants detained, Huang said, accusing the DPP of acting similarly to the Chinese Communist Party’s Red Guards in China’s Cultural Revolution.
Judicial independence is the cornerstone of a democratic society and it is equal for everyone, regardless of politics, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) said in a news conference this morning.
The TPP has a double standard when judging the court process, only being in favor of it when they like the outcome, Wu added.
When the court originally ruled in favor of bail, the TPP officials thanked the judge, but now that it has been revoked, the same officials are seeking to undermine the ruling, he said.
The TPP should have the same approach as the DPP and allow the courts to work independently, free of political pressure, Wu added.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) today called for a free and independent judicial process in response to the court’s ruling.
The KMT position remains that justice must be fair and honest, KMT spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) said.
The court’s decision to revoke bail given the lack of explanation provided to the public undermines citizens’ trust in the judicial process, Yang said.
The case against Ko could have wider ramifications in the future, KMT Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) said, adding that it could prevent future collaboration between the DPP and TPP in the future.
Given the support for Ko and the TPP, the DPP should remain concerned about the political impact of the case, Lee added.
‘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
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS