Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral hopeful Hau Lung-bin (
Hau, a former Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) chief, has vowed to raise the integrity of the KMT's primary and had previously declined to comment on any accusations from rivals.
However, facing criticism from former opponent Yeh Chin-chuan (
He said the criticisms were made to protect the interest of a political party rather than the country's interests.
He defended his previous departure from the KMT, saying it was made in response to former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) involvement in "black gold" politics.
"Since entering politics my sole principle has been that the national interest should always be higher than that of political parties ... I left the KMT for the New Party because former KMT chairman Lee Teng-hui was involved in black gold politics and had messed up the national identity," he said on his political blog titled "Reading Hau Long-bin."
"I am not a political chameleon, Lee Teng-hui is," he said.
Hau said he had accepted the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government's invitation to join the Cabinet as EPA head in order to solve environmental problems in the interest of all people.
He also denied allegations he had campaigned for Council of Labor Affairs Chairman Lee Ying-yuan (
"I never campaigned for any DPP members, including Lee Ying-yuan ... I did write a preface for his autobiography, but I never agreed to let him use it as a campaign tool," Hau said.
Ting, who had been given a written reprimand from the KMT for print ads attacking Hau, yesterday promised to focus on municipal issues in future campaign ads, but refused to refrain from criticizing his rival.
"Someone sees the KMT as a public restroom he can enter and leave as he wishes. He ignored party morals and party rules, and the KMT should take this issue seriously," Ting said while attending a veterans' gathering at the KMT's headquarters.
Ting continued his criticism Hau at a press conference at the legislature yesterday afternoon.
"He said he left the KMT due to Lee Teng-hui's black gold involvement, but how could he fail to see the same problem in the DPP?" Ting said.
"He has deeply hurt both the KMT and Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
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