Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (
Blue is the color associated with the KMT and its People First Party (PFP) ally.
"I have been a loyal member of the KMT in the past, and that's what I am now and will be in the future," Hu told a press conference while wearing KMT stickers on his face.
"I am curious to know how the rumor came about saying that I am cozying up to the pan-green camp and that my political stance is shaking," said Hu, who is also director of the KMT-PFP alliance's Taichung campaign office.
In an effort to prove his blue credentials, Hu was splashed with green paint to symbolize the allegations he was leaning toward the pan-green camp. Hu then removed his green-stained jacket to reveal a blue T-shirt.
Hu was recently featured in a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) TV campaign ad which showed footage of the Taichung mayor approving of the DPP's efforts to develop the city.
In response to the ad, Hu said that the DPP had misused his statement and that the DPP should have asked for his permission before incorporating his remarks into the ad.
Noting that the support rates for President Chen Shui-bian's (
In return, Lien yesterday spoke of his recognition of Hu's efforts in the presidential campaign and accused the DPP of trying to sow discord among pan-blue members.
"I think it is clear to all that [the DPP] has been resorting to all sorts of tricks in an attempt to drive a wedge between the mem-bers of the KMT-PFP alliance," said Lien, who has joined with his PFP counterpart James Soong (
"All of our [pan-blue] local chiefs have all been wholeheartedly engaged in the alliance's campaign work," Lien said. "And their efforts are much appreciated."
Meanwhile, the pan-blue alliance yesterday released another TV campaign ad promoting the Lien-Soong ticket.
The ad featured an office worker who sparked a series of increasingly serious mishaps because he missed the trash can when attempting to shoot a piece of garbage into it.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
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A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it