Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) took her oath and began her four-year term in office yesterday, pledging to open new horizons for the port city that was officially merged with neighboring Kaohsiung County to become a special municipality.
Stressing that all resources would be equally shared and fairly distributed, she also pledged to reduce the gap between rural and urban areas.
“I pledge there will absolutely be no such thing as a so-called ‘one city, two systems,’” she said.
She also called on the central government to attach more importance to the voices of southern Taiwanese.
Minister without Portfolio Lin Junq-tzer (林政則) presided over the swearing-in ceremony and handed over to Chen the official seal.
Lin reiterated President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) concern for striking a balanced development between the north and south of the country, and noted that many of the central government’s 12 major development projects would be carried out in the south.
Former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), a former Kaohsiung mayor, also took part in the ceremony, which was marred by a tiny group of protesters who demanded that Chen step down over controversy about the construction of a liquid petroleum gas station in the city.
Both Chen and Hsieh are Democratic Progressive Party heavyweights.
Immediately following her inauguration, Chen called a meeting with all bureau chiefs and approved several documents, including one to set up a committee to promote reconstruction in areas damaged by Typhoon Morakot last year.
The economy, flood prevention, public security, green energy and rural development would be high on her agenda as part of her efforts to transform Taiwan’s largest port city, according to Chen.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
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