Premier Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday that the government will do everything possible to coordinate with a local cable television station that had earlier said it will conduct exit polls on today's presidential election.
Speaking in a radio interview, Yu said that although there is no law prohibiting the conducting of exit polls, the Cabinet is worried about the possibility of "incidents" erupting between TVBS unveiling its exit polls and the formal announcement of the election results later tonight.
Yu said that exit polls have never been conducted in this country before and that there is no law prohibiting them.
The problem, he went on, is that this is a bitterly contested election and the government has to take a variety of factors into consideration.
The premier said that an earlier decision by the Central Election Commission to count as valid any presidential ballots miscast in the referendum ballot boxes and vice versa has trig-gered concern that incidents could erupt between the opening of the ballots and the formal announcement of the official election results.
The commission later reversed its decision to allow an earlier announcement of the presidential result.
Yu said that if the TV station unveils its exit poll right after the polling stations close at 4pm, then there would be still two to three hours before the formal announcement of the election results, and the government is worried that there could be disturbances during this period.
Yu yesterday also urged the people to stay calm and support the government.
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
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
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