The political fallout from a fire that spewed heavy pollution across Yunlin County two weeks ago is unlikely to affect election prospects more than 150km away in Taipei County, the candidates in the two major parties said yesterday.
The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) Eric Chu (朱立倫) and the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) denied that the government’s handling of the pollution would sway the more than half a million Taipei County voters from the largely agricultural county.
The questions were raised after Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) knelt in front of the Executive Yuan on Thursday, appealing to Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) to crack down on pollution caused by the region's massive petrochemical complex.
The 1,680-hectare plant, located in Mailiao Township (麥寮), is owned by the Formosa Plastics Group and its operations over the past few years have led to a number of health concerns among residents.
These concerns were compounded by a fire that broke out at a pollution treatment facility in the complex on July 25. The smoke is said to have exposed Yunlin residents to seven times the average level of airborne pollutants and seriously damaged the county's agricultural and fishing industries.
Speaking at a campaign stop in a Taipei County temple yesterday, Tsai said she did not see how the incident would boost the opposition party’s election prospects.
“Su's kneeling was based on concerns for the well-being and safety of [Yunlin County] residents. We should see the fire as an environmental incident instead of it having a direct connection to the [November] elections,” she said.
Tsai, who doubles as DPP chairperson, recently spoke out in support of the county commissioner, saying the DPP would likely put a halt on future petrochemical expansions if it regains power in 2012.
Chu said he did not see how the industrial incident could be politicized, given that “in today's society, I don't think industrial safety should be given a political slant.”
He told reporters that he has maintained good relations with Taipei County residents originally from Yunlin and would be counting on their support on Nov. 27.
A representative from a Yunlin community association in the electoral district declined to comment, calling it a “sensitive issue.”
Tsai and Chu are locked neck-and-neck in the elections for the nation’s most populous municipality. Taipei County will be upgraded to a special municipality and renamed Sinbei City on Dec. 25.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS