Though he didn't mention him by name, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), campaigning yesterday in Tainan City, urged incumbent Mayor George Chang (張燦鍙) to put aside his personal differences with DPP candidate Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) and fully support Hsu's bid.
"Now that [you have] no chance [to seek re-election], let's not waste votes," Chen told a campaign rally packed with tens of thousands of enthusiastic supporters last night.
"Let bygones be bygones. Let's all act in a democratic manner and unite as a whole to help Hsu get elected," Chen said, asking supporters to vote against KMT mayoral and legislative candidates in the city.
Hsu beat Chang in the party's April primary elections and acquired his mayoral candidacy. However, Chang, who is facing corruption charges, has decided to run as an independent candidate which will siphon off votes for the DPP.
Chen also praised late presidential advisor Lee Cheng-yuan (
Following Chen's pitch, Vice President Annette Lu (
Earlier yesterday afternoon, Lu arrived in nearby Tainan County in an effort to sooth the discord between incumbent County Commissioner Mark Chen (陳唐山) and DPP candidate Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智).
Pressed by other DPP legislative candidates, Su and Mark Chen shook hands publicly at yesterday's events when greeted by Lu, signifying their mutual willingness to make peace.
Chen, who has served in the county government for two terms, will not compete against Su but many observers have said that whether Chen supports Su will have a decisive influence on the election outcome.
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
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
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
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