President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is meeting up with his presidential campaign team in Yilan County today to join part of their around-the-nation bicycle tour, with film star Brigitte Lin (林青霞) expected to make an appearance.
Ma, who is seeking re-election in January, will join the cyclists on a journey from Nanao (南澳) to Jiaosi Township (礁溪) and meet up with Lin to visit an Italian priest who has lived in Taiwan for almost 60 years.
The bicycle tour, “ROCbike Taiwan Bravo,” is a nationwide bicycle tour launched by Ma’s campaign office earlier this month. Ma’s team embarked on a similar tour during his presidential campaign in 2007.
The “long stay” bicycle tour, which saw Ma and his campaign team travel through 18 cities and counties through the country’s western plains and finished in then-Taipei County, was believed to have helped bolster Ma’s chances in the last election.
This year’s 15-day “ROCbike Taiwan Bravo” bicycle tour will cover 1,181km and finish in Hualien County.
King Pu-tsung (金溥聰), executive director of Ma’s campaign office, met the cyclists last week in Taitung County as part of a campaign activity, while Ma is expected to join more bicycle-related activities as the presidential election approaches.
Ma Wei-kuo (馬瑋國), director of Ma’s campaign office’s new generation division, said campaign staff who joined the bicycle tour this time would come into contact with more people at the grassroots level and the office plans to promote the contributions to the nation of ordinary Taiwanese.
In addition to Lin, she said the campaign office would invite more celebrities and influential Taiwanese figures to join the bicycle tour.
Ma’s campaign team will also set up its campaign office for central Taiwan in Greater Taichung tomorrow.
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