Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) turned down a nomination offer from the party and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who doubles as KMT chairman, to run in Keelung’s mayoral election, citing objections from his family.
The KMT has been looking for a replacement for Keelung City Council Speaker Huang Ching-tai (黃景泰), whose nomination was withdrawn by the party on Wednesday in relation to corruption allegations and tanking public support.
Hsieh was at the top of the party’s replacement list.
Photo: CNA
The legislator has been asserting his unwillingness to run for office and formally rejected the offer after meeting the president on Thursday night.
“My family and my parents are all against the idea. So I have to say sorry to President Ma. However, I will certainly do my job for the party’s election campaign in Keelung,” he said at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport yesterday.
The legislator left the nation yesterday morning for a 10-day trip to Europe.
In a telephone interview with News 98 radio show host Clara Chou (周玉蔻) prior to his departure, Hsieh was asked whether his relationship with the party would be at risk if he refused the nomination, which could negatively affect his nomination next year for legislator.
The three-term legislator said he “does not view [the legislator nomination] that seriously,” adding that if he has the chance, he would continue to serve as a representative, but if not, “I would be OK with changing my career, too.”
Reportedly, Hsieh’s family background figured in the KMT’s decisionmaking process for replacing Huang.
The Hsiehs, who own the Sangong Group (三功集團) and local businesses such as the Second Credit Cooperative of Keelung and educational institutions such as Keelung ErXin High School, are a prominent family in the city.
Both Hsieh’s father and grandfather were Keelung councilors and provincial councilors — during the time when the Taiwan Provincial Government was still functioning — and his grandfather had once run for mayor.
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