Hsiao Bi-khim (
Hsiao said that if elected as a legislator, her dream to work for Taiwan would be fulfilled, and that the nation would benefit from her expertise in foreign relations.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
"Through my education and growing experience ... I have established the groundwork for my choice to work in the political arena in Taiwan," Hsiao said at Tainan Theological College and Seminary (台南神學院), where her father served as the school's president.
"I chose to come back to my home city of Tainan to announce a very crucial personal decision -- that is, to join the DPP primary in a bid to run for a seat representing overseas Chinese communities."
Hsiao has been a focus of media attention over recent months after allegations surfaced in November that she and the president were having an affair.
Subsequently, she was attacked by opposition lawmakers for holding a post at the Presidential Office and at the same time retaining dual citizenship. At yesterday's press conference, she said she felt frustrated at these recent incidents and had thought of withdrawing from her career in politics.
"I take my work very seriously, but I did not expect that my low-key job as a presidential aide would draw such ferocious attacks from the opposition. Facing the storms of criticism, I thought of dropping out of politics," she said.
"But in retrospect, I know what we enjoy today is the result of the painstaking efforts made by our senior politicians.
"Now I feel I should not give up, and instead should take more concrete actions to fulfill my ideas to serve my country."
Having worked at the DPP's Department of International Affairs she currently is employed as an advisor to the president on diplomatic policy.
Hsiao said she has gradually proved her capabilities in dealing with international relations, and now thinks that helping the government win a greater standing in the international community is one of her key goals.
The DPP's Chiu I-jen (
Chiu said he appreciated her professional skills in diplomacy and hoped that Hsiao could find new ways to broaden Taiwan's international relations.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique