Gay and lesbian rights activists yesterday released a list of legislative candidates they consider to be homophobic and urged gay and lesbian voters to boycott them in next Saturday's election.
"There are some things that gay and lesbian voters must keep in mind," Chen Po-chieh (
Thirty candidates across party lines were listed on the boycott list.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Wang Shih-cheng (
"Discrimination has always been the cause of hate crimes in human history. Undoubtedly, Wang should be the most condemned and boycotted legislative candidate of all because of his undisguised insults to gays and lesbians," Chen said.
He called on gays and lesbians to "look beyond green and blue," as "both the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] and the DPP put their party interests above that of minority groups and values of diversity and gender equality," he said.
At the end of the news conference, representatives from several gay and lesbian groups urged voters to throw their support behind the Green Party Taiwan.
"There are certainly lawmakers who pay attention to issues concerning gay and lesbian rights," Chen said. "However, in the current political climate ... those who care about minority groups cannot speak out," and therefore a third party that focuses on social issues must be supported.
Besides Wang, legislative candidates on the boycott list are Alex Fai (
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS