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.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
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