DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday slammed the KMT for cutting NT$280 million from Hualien County's construction budget, as he stumped for party candidates in the eastern part of the county.
"The budget was allocated to improve Aboriginal people's living conditions, preschool education, Internet lessons for teenage students and the county's sewerage system and police and fire departments," Hsieh told crowds yesterday afternoon, as he urged residents to vote for the DPP's candidate for county commissioner, You Ying-lung (
Hsieh added that the KMT has also frozen a total of NT$580 million meant to fund 98 projects in the county, adding that only 42 of those projects have been started due to the lack of funds.
Hsieh also reiterated the party's plan to push through legislative reforms, including cutting the number of seats in the Legislative Yuan by half and implementing a single district/two votes system.
Also at You's campaign rally yesterday, a women's support group was founded to court female voters for You and two other DPP legislative candidates in the county ? Lu Bo-chi (盧博基) and Chen Yi-hsin (陳義信).
Two celebrities, the premier's second wife Chu A-ying (朱阿英) and TV personality Pai Ping-ping (白冰冰) -- who used to only stump for KMT candidates -- showed up at the rally.
You picked up a major endorsement from the government with Chu's appearance. Chu told reporters, on behalf of Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
Chu has reportedly been actively campaigning for Chang and other DPP candidates, but out of the public limelight. She has been dodging the media and photographers after a controversy over the premier's two wives made headlines. Yesterday, however, Chu showed no hesitation in joining those on stage at the rally.
Pai made her appearance before Hsieh arrived so she would not be on stage with him. Pai has had a public feud with Hsieh, who she called "a bad guy" during the last Kaohsiung mayoral election, because the DPP chairman negotiated with and later served as defense attorney for Chen Chin-hsing (陳進興). Chen was executed in 1999 for the 1997 kidnapping and murder of Pai's daughter, Pai Hsiao-yen (白曉燕).
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
REBUFFED: In response to Chinese criticism over recent arms sales, Washington urged Beijing to engage in meaningful dialogue instead of threats and intimidation Washington’s long-term commitment to Taiwan would not change, the US Department of State said yesterday, urging Beijing to stop pressuring Taiwan and engage in meaningful bilateral dialogues. The remarks came in response to a backlash from Beijing about Washington’s latest approval of arms sales to Taiwan. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement on Wednesday that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US has asked to purchase an arms package, including Tactical Mission Network Software; AH-1W helicopter spare and repair parts; M109A7 self-propelled howitzers; HIMARS long range precision strike systems; tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missiles; Javelin
RSS