National Police Administration (NPA) Director-General Chang Si-liang (
"Maintaining the adminis-tration's neutrality during the by-election is our absolute top priority," Chang said.
Chang was speaking at a press conference held by the KMT legislative caucus to urge the government not to take sides while conducting its campaign to stamp out vote buying in the Hualien election this Saturday.
Chang said he had also ordered the 480 police officers carrying out the Hualien crackdown not to campaign for candidates while in police uniform.
However, KMT legislative caucus leader Liu Cheng-hung (
"It's quite suspicious. Was Chang Lin was forced to leave Hualien merely because of his insistence on abiding by administrative neutrality?" Liu asked.
Chang Si-liang responded by saying that the administration "promoted Chang Lin only because of his outstanding performance and abilities, and I am 100 percent sure there's no political interference connected to the promotion."
"Since I came became NPA commissioner on July 1, I have been formulating a list of officers who deserve to be rewarded for their service," Chang, Si-liang said, adding that rumors the promotion of Chang Lin stemmed from a decision by Premier Yu Shyi-kun are groundless.
Meanwhile, KMT Legislator Liao Feng-teh (
"If the government is determined make a list of names public, we think the names of all the candidates' local campaigners should be disclosed," Liao said.
KMT Legislator Cheng Feng-shih (
However, Chang Si-liang said this is because there is no air-conditioning in some police precincts in rural Hualien and some officers have been moved to bigger stations with air-con.
"In the summer heat, it would be far better to sleep on the floor in an air-conditioned room than sweat all night after a hard day's work," Chang Si-liang said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
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