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.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS