Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Those who thought the intra-party squabbles that overshadowed the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) chairperson election would die down after former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) won the race by a landslide on May 20 should think again. Yet another power struggle is in full play within the party.

At about 7pm on Tuesday, just one day before the KMT was scheduled to hold the weekly meeting of its Central Standing Committee, the party’s headquarters decided to call the session off after rumors emerged that several pro-Wu committee members were plotting to put forward proposals to diminish the power and influence of outgoing KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱).

The Taiwan High Court has summoned former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to appear at a hearing on July 7 for a hearing on whether he is healthy enough to stand trial on several corruption charges that have been suspended on the grounds of his poor health.

The summons was issued after Judge Tseng Te-shui (曾德水) said that Chen, who is on medical parole, might now be well enough to stand trial in several cases, including an indictment for intervening in a string of bank mergers in his “Second Financial Reform” program during 2004 to 2008, his second term in office.