Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) was sworn in yesterday to become the first mayor of Greater Taichung, which became a special municipality, and he pledged to assume his new responsibility with caution and care.
“There’s no free ‘upgrade’ and there are no free ‘governmental posts,’ we need to take up this brand-new challenge with brand-new concepts and determination,” Hu, of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), said during the swearing-in ceremony.
Minister without Portfolio Yiin Chii-ming (尹啟銘) presided over the ceremony and handed the official seal to Hu, who has served as mayor of Taichung City for the past nine years.
Greater Taichung was formed by the merger of Taichung City and neighboring Taichung County.
MORE THAN TWO COLORS
Hu said in this speech that there were other colors in life besides blue and green — the two colors that represent the KMT and the Democratic Progressive Party with their respective allies — as he stressed the importance of white and black, which he said represent right and wrong.
“We ought to stop differentiating one another by blue or green, we should put forth our best foot for the interests and the city’s progress,” he said.
“Some say it is impossible for Taiwan to achieve the goal to have black and white trump blue and green, but we must set high expectations for ourselves that we can do it. Yes, we can!” Hu added.
FLAG RAISING
Hu concluded his inaugural speech by inviting the public to join him in 2012 for a flag-raising ceremony at Lishan (梨山) on New Year’s Day and greet the sunrise on the first day of the new year.
Greater Taichung will hold its flag-raising ceremony next year at its new city hall.
COUNTY CLOSES
On Friday at 5pm, Taichung County Government staff and residents gathered at County Hall to observe the county flag being lowered for the last time. They sang the county anthem, some in tears.
“I have served in the county government for 30 years, from a teenager to a middle-aged woman,” a caretaker surnamed Lin (林) said.
A Taichung County resident surnamed Wang (王) traveled from Dali (大里) to take part in the flag-lowering ceremony.
“I have never attended a flag-hoisting ceremony, so I thought I should be here for the last flag-lowering ritual,” she said.
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
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
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,
RSS