Former National Immigration Agency director-general Hsieh Li-kung (謝立功) is likely to represent the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in the Nov. 29 Keelung mayoral election after the party pulled its backing from its original nominee earlier this month.
Hsieh, a senior adviser to the National Security Council, yesterday said that the KMT has discussed the idea with him, but there are “still some procedures to go through.”
He said that “it would be a tough battle,” but added: “If the party wants me to represent it, I’ll do my best.”
Photo: CNA
The first thing he needs to do, he said, is “to listen more to the voices of people in Keelung and learn about their needs.”
The KMT is expected to approve Hsieh’s nomination at a meeting of its Central Standing Committee next week.
Keelung City Council Speaker Huang Ching-tai (黃景泰) won the party’s primary to represent the KMT in the election, but the party revoked his nomination on July 9 after he came under investigation in connection with influence peddling in a real-estate development project.
Because the KMT’s top choice to fill the vacancy — Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) — has adamantly refused to run, the party was forced to consider other potential aspirants, including Hsieh and KMT Organizational Development Committee director Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓).
Hsieh Li-kung prevailed because of his clean image and longstanding ties to the port city, and because Su is busy with preparations for local elections taking place around the country, including in Keelung, on Nov. 29, party sources said.
Although Hsieh Li-kung was not born in Keelung, he has spent nearly 20 years there, including when he studied for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at National Taiwan Ocean University in the city and when he worked at the local branch of the Investigation Bureau.
Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥), the son of former Keelung mayor Lin Shui-mu (林水木), who took part in the KMT’s primary, said that although Hsieh Li-kung is not well-known in Keelung, he “has a good image,” and he pledged his full support for Hsieh Li-kung’s candidacy.
Huang, who has insisted on remaining a candidate despite losing his party’s nomination, said that he would not comment “before the KMT officially nominates a candidate.”
Democratic Progressive Party Keelung mayoral candidate Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said that he had no comment on Hsieh’s emergence as the likely candidate, calling it an internal matter of the KMT.
Lin said he would continue his campaign in a “cautiously optimistic manner.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS