Pro-localization groups yesterday said the growing number of food safety issues was a result of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration’s collusion with big business and they called on voters to use their ballots to punish the “black-hearted KMT.”
Representative of the Northern Taiwan Society, Central Taiwan Society, the Taiwan Republic Campaign and other pro-independence groups told a news conference in Taipei that the KMT administration’s rule has reduced Taiwan to “a state of utter, murky chaos.”
The KMT government has tried to blame the former Democratic Progressive Party administration for the various food safety crises that have erupted since 2011, which was “unbearable,” they said.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
Statistics show Taiwan is among the nations with the highest incidence of colorectal cancer in the world, which has imposed substantial financial burdens on the National Health Insurance system, they said.
At the end of last year, an online poll of Taiwanese selected the Chinese character jia (false, 假) as word of the year, after a wave of food safety scares, and the public continues to suffer from such scandals, Northern Taiwan Society chairman Chang Yeh-sen (張葉森) said.
Saturday’s nine-in-one elections are a chance for the public to punish the “black-hearted KMT” and protect the future of the nation, Chang said.
Hung Chung-yen (洪崇晏), a leader of the Sunflower movement and a member of the Taiwan Forever group, said the KMT’s governance over the past year has been characterized by repeated lies, infringements on human rights, forced evacuations, the demolition of homes and the forceful seizure of land.
The unresolved labor disputes involving former freeway toll collectors and former employees of the bankrupt Hualon Corp, and the repeated instances of abuses in the military — highlighted by the death of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘) last year — showed that the KMT has remained a party that does not keep its promises, Hung said.
The KMT should not be given another chance in these elections, Hung said.
Sunflower activist Yoshi Liu (劉敬文), known by his nickname Yoshi (妖西), who is also a member of the Formoshock Society, called for a boycott against all KMT candidates in Saturday’s polls.
The party has been covering up for giant food manufactures, such as Ting Hsin International Group (頂新國際) and Uni-President Group (統一集團), which have been implicated in several food safety scandals in recent years and deserve to be punished, Liu said.
Voters must cast their ballots on election day to defend the nation’s democracy and to let the KMT know that its stolen party assets, unearned privileges, lies and vilification of its rivals are not wanted in a democracy, Central Taiwan Society secretary-general Tung Chien-hung (董建宏) said.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
Taiwan is concerned that China could exploit the US’ war in the Middle East, with state media citing examples from the conflict to cast doubt on the efficiency of US weapons Taiwan would use to repel an invasion. Taiwanese officials said the resumption of Beijing’s large-scale air force incursions near Taiwan after an unusual decline show that China wants to take advantage of the redeployment of US forces from East Asia to the Middle East. “This is a moment for China to exercise influence,” a senior Taiwanese security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “What China is trying to create is a
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