President Chen Shui-bian (
On the day before he hits the campaign trail in Tainan, Chen yesterday led a group of DPP officials and legislative candidates campaigning in the northern electoral district of Taipei City to pray at Lungshan Temple (
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-TE, TAIPEI TIMES
"I believe that peace and happiness are the common prayers of the 23 million Taiwanese people," Chen said in a speech after his prayer.
"From tomorrow, A-bian is going to work together with everyone toward victory in the legislative elections. Hopefully we can make the wish come true and enable our government to do good things for all the people," he said.
Chen received an enthusiastic welcome from DPP supporters at Lungshan temple, where he handed out auspicious amulets.
He said that two auspicious amulets which he always takes with him had helped him to survive the assassination attempt on March 19. Chen expressed the hope that people who received amulets yesterday would also have good luck in life.
The president introduced Chang to the crowd as "the future legislative speaker." This is the first time that Chen has actively and personally declared his support for Chang as legislative speaker.
When asked about Chen's remarks, Chang confirmed that the president has suggested that he should campaign to be elected speaker if the pan-green camp wins the majority in the legislature. But he said the president has not mentioned whether he will be teamed up with the candidate nominated by the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) to contend for the posts of speaker and deputy speaker.
Chang said that he will devote himself to reforming the Legislative Yuan and abolishing the unreasonable regulations that protect lawmakers.
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) held a news conference later yesterday to accentuate the president's support of Chang, saying that Chang, who has served as premier and has been a legislator for six terms, is the ideal candidate to become legislative speaker.
"Chang's experience and integrity qualify him to be the speaker. Chang is familiar with how a constitutional government works and has resolved many major controversies when serving as premier, which we believe could bring a new professionalism to the legislature," Lee said.
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said that the legislature has degenerated because of its leadership, and the next speaker will have to rebuild the Legislative Yuan's credibility and dignity since so many lawmakers treat the legislature as their "legal shelter."
To give momentum to Chang's campaign, DPP Information and Culture Department Director Cheng Wen-tsan (
Meanwhile, pro-independence advocates yesterday held a news conference to urge voters to support the candidates of the pan-green camp, saying that this round of legislative elections were a juncture for ascertaining the national identification of the people of Taiwan. They urged voters not to allow candidates who speak for China to enter the legislature.
"We hope that voters can spontaneously adopt the vote-allocation strategy to ensure every TSU and DPP candidate will be elected," North Society chairman Wu Shuh-min (吳樹民) said.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS