Chu Ting-chieh (朱挺介), the son of former Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Chu An-hsiung (朱安雄) -- now a fugitive -- is running for legislative seat in southern Kaohsiung as an independent.
According to Lin Hsiang-nung (林享能), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Kaohsiung chapter head who is coordinating the pan-blue camp's election campaign there, Chu will probably siphon votes from pan-blue candidates because his campaign themes are similar to those of the pan-blue camp. But his campaign may go a long way in healing the Chu family's battered image after his father's fall from grace in the wake of the Kaohsiung vote-buying scandal in July.
"What we observe here is that certain voters don't really care what the last generation has done," Lin told the Taipei Times. Chu's sister, 25-year-old Chu Ting-shan (朱挺珊), won more than 10,000 votes and was elected in the Kaohsiung City by-election to represent her district, Chiencheng, despite criticism of her father's involvement in vote-buying.
In September last year, Chu An-hsiung was sentenced to 22 months in prison for paying NT$500 per vote to support his city council bid.
In March, the brother and sister jointly organized a support group promoting the pan-blue presidential candidate and KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) to consolidate the Chu family's support.
Lin said that in a field where 11 candidates are vying for five open legislative seats, all four blue-leaning independent candidates, including Chu, plan to collaborate with the KMT. It is estimated that a candidate has to gain more than 30,000 ballots to be elected in southern Kaohsiung.
Lin said that Chu's potential should not be underestimated because he personally has quite attractive qualities in a potential legislator, in terms of education, financial resources and local connections. Chu, with no political experience, received a PhD in international industry management from Cambridge University, according to Chinese-language media reports, and was once a lecturer at Oxford University. He now serves as the vice general manager for the An Feng Group (安鋒集團) run by his family.
Chu last week refused to respond to queries about his motives for running in the legislative elections and his opinions on issues.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
President William Lai (賴清德) is expected to announce a new advanced “all-domain” air defense system to better defend against China when he gives his keynote national day speech today, four sources familiar with the matter said. Taiwan is ramping up defense spending and modernizing its armed forces, but faces a China that has a far larger military and is adding its own advanced new weapons such as stealth fighter jets, aircraft carriers and a huge array of missiles. Lai is expected to announce the air defense system dubbed “Taiwan Dome” in his speech this morning, one of the sources said. The system