In the latest battle between forces ranged against and in favor of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Kaohsiung City Councilor Wang Lin-chiao (王齡嬌) has begun a campaign to oust the president using a secret weapon -- red underwear.
Wang yesterday brought a range of red undergarments to the city council conference room in an anti-Chen gesture.
Dressed from head to toe in red, Wang presented a pair of red underpants to Kaohsiung Police Chief Tsai Yi-ren (
PHOTO: CNA
Tsai declined to accept the underwear, but Wang left the undergarment on his desk.
She also attempted to present a pair to the head of the city's Environmental Protection Bureau, Chang Feng-teng (
As the most fervently anti-Chen city councilor in Kaohsiung, Wang has previously traveled to Taipei to call for Chen's resignation. When the president visited Kaohsiung to dine with members of the business community, Wang followed the president to continue her protest.
Wang announced that she was offering a variety of red undergarments at her "anti-Chen refueling station," and that the city department heads would get discounts.
Meanwhile, the pro-Chen camp is also making noises in Kaohsiung. Independent legislators are planning to start a "Save A-bian, Protect Taiwan" campaign tomorrow in which they will call for a thousand-strong taxi parade.
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
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
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