The cash-strapped People First Party’s (PFP) intention of using prerecorded telephone vote canvassing in lieu of televised advertisements for its presidential campaign hit a snag when the company it contracted suddenly terminated the deal on Tuesday, a PFP official said.
The PFP reached an agreement with the company that it would pay NT$7.5 (US$0.25) per recording, with NT$2 going back to the PFP. The system was slated to be operational starting yesterday.
PFP spokesperson Wu Kun-yu (吳崑玉) revealed that the deal was called off was due to pressure from the company’s major stockholders forbidding the company from being “pro-Soong,” adding that the sales manager that signed the contract with the PFP was forced to resign.
Photo: CNA
Wu added that he suspected someone or some faction was placing restrictions on the party ever since PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) in September announced his intention to run in the presidential election.
The latest incident showed that “not only was this someone or some faction trying to cut off the cash flow of the PFP, it was also interfering in the PFP’s small-sum fundraising efforts and cutting off the PFP’s channels of advertisement,” Wu said.
According to sources, the PFP’s fundraising operations have not been smooth, with donations by corporations ranging from NT$1 million to NT$2 million considered high.
To avoid “getting in trouble,” the corporations who donate to the PFP do not ask for a receipt, the sources added, saying that an owner of a company who was visibly rooting for Soong in Yunlin County “coincidentally” received a notice several months ago to pay back taxes dating from five years ago.
To come up with campaign funding, it is rumored that Soong recently withdrew the NT$240 million returned to him after the closing of the Chung Hsing Bills Financial case and is using the fund to pay various election expenses.
Soong was accused of embezzling funds from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) when he was still a member of the party. After a failed attempt to return the money to the KMT, Soong asked the Taipei District Court to take custody of the money.
A court decision in May last year ruled that Soong could retrieve the funds.
Translated by Jake Chung, staff writer
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost