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Two expelled from DPP for attending forum

By Xie Yu in Beijing and Albert Au-yeung in Hong Kong (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-28 07:30

Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Monday expelled two founding members for attending a forum on the mainland, though one renounced his membership pre-emptively.

Former DPP "legislator" Hsu Jung-shu and former chief of the "council of agriculture" Fan Cheng-tsung drew fire from some party members for attending the Fifth Cross-Straits Trade and Economic Forum held in Changsha of Hunan province July 10-12.

DPP review committee officials announced on Thursday that Hsu's and Fan's membership privileges would be suspended for three years. The two appeared on a talk show later that night, saying they have done nothing wrong. Annoyed committee members including Tsai Chi-chang and Chiu Yi-ying called another disciplinary meeting yesterday.

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After the meeting yesterday, DPP review disciplinary committee head Chen Chin-te said Fan and Hsu were expelled because they had continued to "hurt the party's reputation" after the committee handed down its punishment.

Chen described the forum Fan and Hsu attended as a KMT-Communist Party of China (CPC) forum. The DPP had strictly forbidden its members to participate in the event.

Before the central review committee meeting yesterday, Fan held a press conference to announce his decision to withdraw from the party.

Apologizing for causing difficulties to the higher-level party members, Fan said that he will withdraw from DPP but will not join any other party.

If the DPP could close ranks by expelling him, he would feel honored to be expelled, he said.

He urged the party to ditch its old mentality and reconsider its policy toward the mainland.

"The natural exchange between people across the Straits should be guilt-free and normal," he said.

Fan said that Hsu was not in Taiwan so he could not announce a decision on her behalf. Hsu had been nicknamed "Grandma" because of her seniority with the party.

But they will both remain tolerant of the party's decision and will not comment on it through talk shows, Fan said.

Li Jiaquan, a senior researcher with the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the DPP is acting irrationally.

"Their mainland policy has been inconsistent and confusing," he said.

On the one hand, the party had forbidden their party members from attending the cross-Straits forum on the mainland, claiming it will "sell Taiwan". On the other hand, many DPP members are running businesses on the mainland and face no punishment at all.

"It is clear that cross-Straits forum communication is inevitable. What the DPP is doing goes against the public opinion," he said.

A recent survey by Taiwan-based Global Views Monthly showed 64 percent thought the opposition DPP should communicate directly with the CPC.

The Hong Kong-based China Review News said the DPP is acting like a gang rather than a political party on this issue, since it cares only about its own interests while ignoring the public interests.