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When the court originally ruled in favor of bail, the TPP officials thanked the judge, but now that it has been revoked, the same officials are seeking to undermine the ruling, he said.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
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and