Taipei EasyCard Corp chairman Sean Lien (連勝文) yesterday dismissed speculation that he intended to run in a by-election that is scheduled for March 28 to fill the seat left vacant by former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Diane Lee (李慶安).
Lien, son of former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰), said he would focus his efforts on leading the company and would not leave the position he took up last year.
OPPORTUNITY LOST
“Running in the by-election would be a great opportunity for me, but I have no intention of leaving the company right now. I have an obligation to stay at the company and I cannot leave until my job is done,” he said yesterday while hosting a company event in Taipei.
Lien made the remarks in response to Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Pan Meng-an’s (潘孟安) claim that Sean Lien had visited KMT caucus secretary-general Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) to express his interest in running for Lee’s seat and had sent supporters to join protests against Lee before she resigned.
Lee, who apparently holds US citizenship, which constitutes a violation of the Nationality Act (國籍法), stepped down on Thursday.
The by-election will be held in Taipei City’s Da-an (大安) legislative district.
Sean Lien is a rising star in the KMT.
His appointment as Taipei EasyCard chairman in August by Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) attracted widespread criticism from pan-green Taipei City councilors, who said Hau and the KMT had given Sean Lien the post to advance his political amibitions.
INTERESTED PARTIES
KMT Taipei City councilors Chiang Nai-shin (蔣乃辛) and Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) have expressed an interest in running for the vacant seat.
On the DPP side, Taipei City Councilor Chou Po-ya (周柏雅) has so far expressed interest.
The three councilors attended an event in Da-an District yesterday to seek grassroots support in the by-election.
Lin said the KMT would probably choose a candidate through negotiations, but added that she hoped to represent the party in the by-election.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Taiwan’s three major international carriers are increasing booking fees, with EVA Airways having already increased the charge to US$28 per flight segment from US$25, while China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines are set to follow suit. Booking fees are charged by airlines through a global distribution system (GDS) and passed on to passengers. Carriers that apply the fees include CAL, EVA, Starlux and Tigerair Taiwan. A GDS is a computerized network operated by a company that connects airlines with travel agents and ticketing platforms, allowing reservations to be made and processed in real time. Major players include Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. EVA Air began
WATCH FOR HITCHHIKERS: The CDC warned those returning home from Japan to be alert for any contagious diseases that might have come back with them People who have returned from Japan following the World Baseball Classic (WBC) games during the weekend are recommended to watch for symptoms of infectious gastroenteritis, flu and measles for two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. Flu viruses remain the most common respiratory pathogen in Taiwan in the past four weeks and the influenza B virus accounted for 55.7 percent of the tested cases, exceeding the percentage of influenza A (H3N2) infections and becoming the local dominant strain, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said at a news conference on Tuesday. There were 82,187 hospital visits for
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
RSS