Former premier and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential hopeful Frank Hsieh (
Called "Taiwan Reform -- Trust and Accomplishment," Hsieh vowed to reform the country's political, cultural and economic landscape if elected.
"Politics is an expansion of trust, and reforms should begin with a change in political culture. Politicians should tell the truth, take responsibility and keep their promises," he told a press conference at the Grand Hotel in Taipei.
Amid cheers of "Frank Hsieh, go for the presidency!" and "Taiwan Reform!" from about 200 supporters, Hsieh said he expected the DPP -- as the ruling party -- to fulfill public expectations and vowed to make Taiwan a "normal country" with dignity, prosperity and substantial development.
"The DPP has to appreciate the public's support and expectations and strive for greater national development. Otherwise, the public would turn its back on us," he added.
Lee Hung-hsi (
"Hsieh has devoted his efforts to promoting Taiwanese reforms and democracy all these years, unlike somebody, who is against democracy and would do anything just to be elected president," Lee said, urging the crowd to vote the DPP to power again next year.
When asked if he supported other DPP hopefuls, including Premier Su Tseng-chang (
Hsieh will hold another campaign rally tomorrow in Kaohsiung.
Registration for the DPP primary will be held from Monday to Friday.
The DPP's primary rule states party members' votes will count for 30 percent of a candidate's score, while a public opinion poll would make up the remaining 70 percent.
The candidate who receives the highest total score would be selected as the party's representative in next year's presidential election.
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
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai