Supporters of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) yesterday gathered to stump for him yesterday, during which Chinese Production Party (中華生產黨) chairperson Lu Yuexiang (盧月香) revealed that she paid for China-based Taiwanese businesspeople’s flights to return to vote for the pan-blue camp during the 2008 presidential election.
The Chinese Production Party is formed of Chinese spouses married to Taiwanese nationals.
Lu, who has lived in Taiwan for 22 years, said that in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election — in which then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) ran against Democratic Progressive Party former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) — she not only helped fund the purchase of plane tickets for Taiwanese businesspeople in China who did not have enough money to return, but had also helped arrange for temporary workers to cover their jobs while they were away.
Photo: Kuo An-chia, Taipei Times
Lu said her move “touched the hearts” of about 8,000 China-based Taiwanese businesspeople who returned in 2008 to vote and brought her party more than 400 additional members.
As for China-based Taiwanese businesspeople with pan-green inclinations, Lu said she told them to “be virtuous and stay in China [and not come back to Taiwan to vote.]”
“The lies being spread about me receiving benefits from the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] are false,” Lu said, adding that her party is not tied to the CCP and that her party works “for Taiwan and the continued peace across the Taiwan Strait.”
Lien left the event 25 minutes prior and so was not present when Lu made the remarks.
However, former Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) was present, attending in his capacity as the head of Lien’s supporters’ association.
Later yesterday, when asked to comment on Lu’s remarks, Lien said that he respected Lu and declined to comment further.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to clarify her earlier comments, Lu said that she had helped “two or three” Taiwanese businesspeople financially when they were down on their luck in 2008, and she has not bought plane tickets for China-based Taiwanese businesspeople to return to Taiwan this year.
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