The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday accused Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tu Wen-ching (
At a press conference, KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (
Showing the press copies of TRA documents, Chiu said Tu won the bid last April and later pressured the National Property Administration (NPA) and the TRA to change the plot's zoning.
Chiu said Tu urged the agencies to designate the land as "not for public projects" so that Tu could purchase it at a low cost.
However, the TRA ruled in August against Tu's request, Chiu said.
KMT caucus whip Kuo Su-chun (
Tu yesterday rebutted Chiu's allegations.
"I did establish my campaign headquarters at the location Chiu mentioned. But I did it through the correct legal process. I hope that the media will not be misled by Chiu," Tu said. "I welcome prosecutors to launch a probe."
The TRA also rebutted Chiu's allegations.
"The rent is extremely low because we have held seven previous public bids for the land, but nobody wanted it until Tu participated in the last bid," said Chang Ying-hui (
Chang said the TRA had several other parcels of land that are difficult to lease because they are not zoned for commercial use.
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
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