The Kuomintang has imposed heavy penalties on two young party workers, a move read as an acceleration of the party's line toward the pro-unification camp and as bad news for dissenting voices within its ranks.

• Former spokesperson Hsiao Ching-yen has been suspended from party membership for three years, and former deputy director of the Youth Department Ting Yu has been expelled, on the grounds that their views did not align with the party and that they violated party policy.
• DPP legislator Lin Chun-hsien said expulsion from the party is usually the result of running in an election in breach of party discipline or of involvement in illegal activity, and that it is rare for anyone to be thrown out for telling the truth.
• He said that since Cheng Li-wun took over as party chair, the KMT has taken off the outer garment of the Republic of China and put on a Communist Party lining, with its line clearly shifting toward the pro-unification camp.
• Another example he cited was Wang Hsiao-ling's move to cut and freeze the state affairs fund, which left sheltered workshops without orders, yet no one in the party dared to criticize her, because she was on the right side of the political line.

Outlook: The space available to figures within the KMT who follow the Republic of China line is expected to keep shrinking, and the party's tolerance for dissent is unlikely to recover in the short term.