Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yu Tien (余天) yesterday apologized to Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) by telephone after he was caught on camera describing Hu's wife as “not clear in the head.”
Yu was caught saying that the incumbent mayor should spend more time at home to take care of himself and his wife, Shirley Shaw (邵曉鈴), who lost her left arm in a Nov. 18, 2006, car accident that also left her in a coma for a period of time.
Yu was addressing dozens of party supporters at an election event for Taichung City Council candidates. The comments were caught on video by a reporter from the Chinese-language United Daily News.
On the tape, Yu is heard saying that he was close friends with Hu and his wife and then talks about how the mayor should spend more time with Shaw, who “only has a hand and is not clear in the head” as a result of helping him in his political career.
“Hu has had a stroke and stumbles when he walks. As a friend, I think it’s really sad and I can’t bear to [watch],” Yu said. “I really don’t think he wants to be in this election.”
The comments, made just two months ahead of the special municipality elections, drew strong criticism from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers, as well as DPP officials.
“The remarks are inappropriate ,and I hope he will apologize immediately. Hu’s health issues should never be a topic in the election,” DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said in a statement read by DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁).
Tsai’s condemnation was also conveyed to other DPP lawmakers, who were asked to avoid making further personal attacks on KMT politicians, Wu said.
In a phone call to Hu, Yu said he was sorry for making the comments, adding that they were not intended as a personal attack.
He said he was trying to tell the crowd how difficult it must be for Hu to make a re-election bid under such circumstances.
Hu accepted the apology and dismissed the gaffe as an example of DPP lawmakers “using the wrong words,” local media reports said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their