Incumbent Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (
"The `Kaohsiung era' has come," Hsieh declared at his mayoral inauguration ceremony, held at Kaohsiung City Hall yesterday morning.
"Kaohsiung City will become an economic and trade city, as well as a garden city," Hsieh said in his inauguration speech. "This city is ready to get on the international stage," he said.
Hsieh said that being a hard-working mayor is the only way to express his gratitude to all of Kaohsiung citizens. In the future, the city will strive toward its goal of becoming a port city of free commerce and trade once the draft bill entitled "Kaohsiung as a municipal port city of commerce and trade" (高雄經貿自治港市條例草案) is officially passed by the Legislative Yuan.
The draft bill has already proceeded to the Legislative Yuan for review.
"Facing fierce international competition, Kaohsiung must think about how to maintain its position as the world's leading container port," Hsieh said. "It must also think about how to take the initiative in order to gain the upper hand once direct links across the Taiwan Strait are fully opened," he said.
Hsieh also named most of the heads of the city's bureaus and departments yesterday. Surprisingly, former National Police Administration director-general Yao Kao-chiao (
The KMT's Yao switched to Hsieh's camp right before the mayoral election and was later expelled by his party.
It's also a surprise that Hsieh appointed controversial Wu Meng-te (吳孟德) as head of the city's Bureau of Urban Development.
Wu is former director of the city's Bureau of Public Works. He was forced to resign in April after he angered resident mainlanders by saying that massive flooding last year was brought about due to the influx of mainlanders into the city.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
About nine Taiwanese are “disappeared,” detained, or otherwise deprived of freedom of movement in China each month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Between Jan. 1 last year and Aug. 31 this year, 188 Taiwanese travelers went missing, were detained and interrogated, or had their personal freedom restricted, with some questioned in airports or hotel lobbies, the council said. In a statement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the council urged people visiting China for any reason to be highly vigilant and aware of the risks. Of the reported cases, 50 people were “disappeared” after entering China, 19 were detained and 119 had
RSS