Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Monday expelled two senior members who attended a cross-Straits forum held on the mainland earlier this month.

The DPP announced the decision to expel Fan Chen-tzung and Hsu Jung-shu at a meeting on Monday.

The two attended the Cross-Straits Economic, Trade and Culture Forum held in Changsha, capital of central Hunan Province, on July 11 and 12, despite the opposition from the DPP leadership.

The forum was initiated by the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang, the island's ruling party, to improve exchanges across the Taiwan Straits.

Last Thursday, the party decided to suspend Fan and Hsu's membership for three years. The pair told a press conference later that day that they did not do anything wrong to attend the forum.

(Xinhua News Agency July 27, 2009)