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).
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about 1,900 as
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
MORE RESPONSIBILITY: Draftees would be expected to fight alongside professional soldiers, likely requiring the transformation of some training brigades into combat units The armed forces are to start incorporating new conscripts into combined arms brigades this year to enhance combat readiness, the Executive Yuan’s latest policy report said. The new policy would affect Taiwanese men entering the military for their compulsory service, which was extended to one year under reforms by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2022. The conscripts would be trained to operate machine guns, uncrewed aerial vehicles, anti-tank guided missile launchers and Stinger air defense systems, the report said, adding that the basic training would be lengthened to eight weeks. After basic training, conscripts would be sorted into infantry battalions that would take
DEEP-STRIKE CAPABILITY: The scenario simulated a PLA drill that turned into an assault on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, with the launchers providing fire support Taiwan yesterday conducted this year’s first military exercises at Longsiang Base in Taichung, demonstrating the newly acquired High Mobility Artillery Rocket System’s (HIMARS) ability to provide fire support and deep-strike capabilities. The scenario simulated an attack on Penghu County, with HIMARS trucks immediately rolling into designated launch areas and firing barrages at the Wangan (望安) and Cimei (七美) islands, simulating the provision of fire support against invading forces. The HIMARS are supposed to “fire and leave,” which would significantly increase personnel and equipment survivability, a military official said. The drill simulated an exercise launched by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern
RSS