President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), in his capacity as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, will tour Taiwan early next year to thank voters for their support in the Dec. 5 local elections and stump for party candidates in the imminent legislative by-elections.
Ma will first visit Taoyuan, Taitung and Taichung counties, where legislative by-elections are to be held on Jan. 9, to drum up support for KMT candidates, Lee Chien-jung (李建榮), the head of the party’s Culture and Communications Committee, said after a KMT meeting on Monday hosted by KMT Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰).
During his roadshow, which will continue until Feb. 21, Ma will meet KMT supporters at gatherings organized by the KMT in cities and counties around Taiwan, Lee said.
KMT legislative whip Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) said at Monday’s meeting that the caucus would convene a delegation to campaign for KMT candidates in the by-elections, Lee said.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Deputy Speaker Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) and Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) will organize election activities for Kuang Li-chen (鄺麗貞), who will represent the KMT in the Taitung County legislative by-election, Lee added. Kuang hopes to fill the seat vacated by Justin Huang (黃健庭), who resigned as legislator before being elected Taitung County commissioner on Dec. 5.
KMT honorary chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄), Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Taoyuan County Commissioner John Wu (吳志揚) will lend their support to Chen Li-ling (陳麗玲), the KMT’s candidate in Taoyuan County.
The seat was previously held by the party’s Liao Cheng-ching (廖正井), whose election was invalidated after he was convicted of vote-buying.
Meanwhile, local KMT grassroots leaders will give their support to Taiping Mayor Yu Wen-chin (余文欽), who will run in Taichung County for the seat previously held by the KMT’s Chiang Lien-fu (江連福), who was also convicted of vote-buying, Lee said.
King will organize and coordinate all campaign activities leading up to election day, Lee added.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
REWRITING HISTORY: China has been advocating a ‘correct’ interpretation of the victory over Japan that brings the CCP’s contributions to the forefront, an expert said An elderly Chinese war veteran’s shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he sustained when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui’s scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people. However, the story behind China’s overthrow of the brutal Japanese occupation is deeply contested. Historians broadly agree that credit for victory lies primarily with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led Republic of China (ROC) Army. Its leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a
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