Hualien independent legislative by-election candidate Shih Sheng-lang (施勝郎) yesterday filed a slander suit against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) over the latter’s remarks that he was a “hooligan.”
Accompanied by a horde of supporters at the Hualien District Court, Shih also accused King of obstructing the by-election.
On Tuesday when campaigning for KMT nominee Wang Ting-sheng (王廷升), King, aside from criticizing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Hualien legislative by-election candidate Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), also attacked Shih, saying that the candidate supported by independent Hualien County Commissioner Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) “was a hooligan who did time on Green Island (綠島) for four years.”
“When something has to do with himself, King said ‘who doesn’t have past?’ But when it comes to something to do with others, he keeps on digging into past sore points,” Shih said. “So, tell me, who’s more of a hooligan?”
At a separate setting yesterday when asked for a response, King declined to comment, saying that the matter was now being handled by judiciary.
Meanwhile, the KMT yesterday continued its attack on Hsiao, accusing her of being a “tourist” to Hualien.
KMT spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) yesterday visited Taoyuan County to campaign for KMT candidate Apollo Chen (陳學聖), and condemned the DPP for “wrongly accusing Chen of being a ‘parachute’ candidate” in Taoyuan and having few connections in the county.
“Chen is a native Taoyuan citizen. The beautiful tourist [Hsiao], on the other hand, was portrayed as a native from Hualien County,” he said.
KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) last night canvassed the streets in Chaiyi County with KMT candidate Lin De-rui (林德瑞). He is expected to spend much of today — the eve of the by-election — in Taoyuan County. He is also to visit Hsinchu County today to campaign for KMT candidate Cheng Yung-tang (鄭永堂).
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of