The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday approved its legislator-at-large list of candidates as well as some district legislators amid questions over several controversial figures.
Among the 28 legislator-at-large candidates, DPP Legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌) was indicted for her involvement in an alleged loan scandal at Sunny Bank (陽信商銀).
DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (
For his part, former DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun was indicted on charges of forgery and embezzlement over allegations of misuse of his "special allowance fund" during his term as premier.
Asked whether the controversial nominees would have a negative impact on the elections, Presidential Office Secretary-General Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) said yesterday that the candidates had been picked in accordance with the party's nomination process and approved by the Central Executive Committee.
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Liu Chien-hsin (劉建忻) said that indictment and conviction were not the same thing and urged the public to use the same standards when judging the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidates.
"KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has been indicted on graft charges and a KMT candidate for legislator-at-large is still serving time in jail," Liu said, referring to KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅), who is serving a 14-month prison term for violent conduct during a protest in front of the Kaohsiung District Court following the 2004 presidential election.
Yu avoided the question yesterday, saying it was not part of his plan to be a legislator-at-large and that he respected the party's selection mechanism.
Six more legislator-at-large candidates will be selected by the party's nomination committee. Among the 28 candidates already selected, 15 are women and 13 are men. The party said 12 to 15 candidates were on the "safe list."
The committee also agreed to recruit non-DPP members -- former KMT member Lee Sen-zong (李顯榮), former Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Liao Pen-yen (廖本煙), former TSU Legislator Huang Chung-yung (黃宗源) and independent Taipei County Councilor Chen Yong-fu (陳永福) -- to run in the legislative election.
The committee approved the nomination of Chen Hsiu-hui (
The committee also resolved to support the proposal of holding legislative and presidential elections in tandem with referendums and collecting election and referendum ballots together.
Meanwhile, President Chen Shui-bian (
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS