Lin Yi-hsiung, former chairman of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), on Tuesday announced that he quit his Party membership, according to sources from Taiwan.

Lin said in an open letter that every election on Taiwan island led to widening gaps among different social groups, more conflicts among different social classes and continuous social unrest on the island.

According to media reports, Lin said in his open letter that since he had no intention to engage in the DPP party affairs and would not compete for any public post on behalf of the DPP, the DPP membership had become meaningless.

Lin was born in August 1941 in Yilan County of Taiwan Province. He joined the DPP in 1994 and held the post of DPP chairman from June 1998 to June 2000.

To date, three former chairmen of DPP have withdrawn from the party after leaving the DPP chairmanship.

(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2006)