William Lai (賴清德) took the oath yesterday and was sworn in as the first mayor of the new special municipality of Greater Tainan, pledging to restore Tainan to its former glory in an effort to capitalize on its historic and cultural importance.
“We hereby welcome the new birth of this city,” he said in his inaugural speech, adding that the merger of Tainan City and Tainan County into Greater Tainan will allow the new municipality to use its unique features to transform itself into a special city.
Minister without Portfolio Ovid Tzeng (曾志朗) presided over the swearing-in ceremony of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) rising star.
In his 13-minute speech, Lai expressed his gratitude to former Tainan mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) and former Tainan County commissioner Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智) for their work during the past nine years.
However, neither Hsu nor Su made an appearance at the ceremony.
DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), former premier Yu Shyi-kun and former Presidential Office secretary-general Mark Chen (陳唐山) were also on hand to witness the event as special guests.
On his last day in office on Friday, Su hosted a farewell party at the County Hall and said “Tainan County” will always stay in the hearts of its residents.
Hsu, meanwhile, said he has set up an office called “Hsu Tain-tsair Office” and will continue to care for issues that pertain to people’s well-being and happiness.
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,
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