Ellen Huang (黃越綏), a former presidential candidate hopeful advocating Taiwanese independence, held a press conference yesterday to explain her reasons for dropping out of the race the day before.
Huang said she was unlikely to collect 260,000 signatures, the threshold mandated by the Central Election Commission to register as a presidential candidate. She had collected 101,931 signatures in 105 days of campaigning, Huang said.
The 64-year-old said she would support Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) presidential campaign if Tsai extends an invitation, because she would like to see a female president in Taiwan.
Funding was also a problem for Huang, who is known for her dedication to children’s welfare.
A deposit of NT$1 million (US$34,000) is required for an applicant recommended by way of joint signatures and another NT$15 million is required to register as a presidential candidate, according to the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法).
“I might as well buy 20,000 lunchboxes for underprivileged children with the NT$1 million,” she said.
Huang said she “fought alone” during the campaign, accompanied by senior independence advocates Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) and Su Beng (史明), as well as DPP officials Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) and Kao Chien-chih (高建智).
Huang said she was disappointed she was attacked during her campaign, being described by some as taking bribes from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) or being a sidekick of former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
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