DPP presidential candidate Chen Shui-bian (
Chen also said he would ask Lee Yuan-tseh (
Koo Chen-fu (
Chen announced the latest names on his advisors' list during a campaign rally in Taoyuan yesterday morning. Figures from cultural circles included Lin Hwai-min (
University presidents who promised to join the committee were National Chiao-tung University's Chang Chun-yen (
Support from business circles included Kao Chih-ming (
Political observers said Chen's move to announce his list of advisors, most of whom are household names and highly respected figures, would help sway the large number of voters who remain undecided on their preference of candidate.
Wang Yeh-lih (
He said Chen's choice of advisors would assuage concerns some voters still have about Chen's position on certain issues, such as cross-strait affairs where he is often seen as a firebrand.
Lin Hwai-min confirmed yesterday that he would work as Chen's advisor.
"Cultural development in Taiwan is an issue that I have been concerned about for years. I am willing to offer my advice on cultural affairs to whoever wins the presidential election and considers my advice valuable," Lin said.
Chen's move yesterday was a follow-up to his announcement last week on who would join his advisory committee.
Along with Lee, the Nobel Prize-winning chemist, other heavyweights that had promised to be Chen's advisors included Taiwan High-Speed Railway Corp chairperson Nita Ing (
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics