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Ma Ying-jeou to depart for visits to India, Singapore

"At this point, we are working hard to find the best candidate [to be a vice presidential candidate]. We should do more and say less."

Ma Ying-jeou, KMT presidential candidate

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will depart on a trip to India and Singapore tomorrow.

Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including its outposts in the two countries, will provide assistance to Ma, although the trip's technical details have been worked out by Ma's aides.

Ma will first head to India and will pay visits to Indian officials and business leaders through Wednesday before proceeding on to Singapore later that day.

Ma will return to Taipei on Friday after meeting with Singaporean political and business leaders.

The former KMT chairman stepped down from the party's top post in February after being charged by prosecutors with embezzlement involving a special allowance fund earmarked for his discretionary use during his two terms as mayor of Taipei from 1998 until last year.

Corruption charges

He was nominated early last month by the KMT as its presidential candidate, despite the corruption charges that had been filed against him.

Ma is expected to name his running mate shortly after his return from his trip.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) ended months of speculation when he turned down Ma's invitation to be his running mate on May 31.

Although there will be no "Ma-Wang ticket," Wang said he would cooperate with Ma in pushing for KMT victory in both the legislative and presidential elections.

Speaking earlier last week, Ma dismissed speculation in the media that he had met Uni-President Group chief executive officer Jason Lin (林蒼生) to ask Lin to be his running mate in the presidential election.

"At this point, we are working hard to find the best candidate. We should do more and say less," he said when asked by reporters about his choice of a running mate.

In a statement released on Friday night, Lin said he did not plan to do anything but focus on managing his business.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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