A TVBS poll suggests that student activist Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷) would defeat outgoing Miaoli County Commissioner Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻) for the vacancy in the legislature left by Miaoli County commissioner-elect Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌).
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is still considering its candidate, while Liu is a possible candidate representing the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
The TVBS survey showed Chen had a support rate of 40 percent compared with 35 percent for Liu.
Photo: Su Meng-chuan, Taipei Times
Liu also faced a challenge from defeated DPP Miaoli County commissioner candidate Wu Yi-chen (吳宜臻), who lead Liu in support by 50 percent to 28 percent in an earlier poll. However, Wu announced her withdrawal from the race on Tuesday, praising Chen for his decision to join the race, where non-KMT candidates normally face a tough battle.
Wu said she approves of Chen’s abilities, adding that she would root for any candidate that the DPP backs.
Before bursting onto the national scene as one of the student leaders of the Sunflower movement, Chen had already been active in social movements, with protests over a land expropriation case in Miaoli’s Dapu Borough (大埔) just one of his battlefields.
The incident involved the Miaoli County Government’s seizure of farmland to expand the Jhunan Township (竹南) science park, blocking off roads and sending excavators onto farmland awaiting harvest.
Dapu resident Chang Sen-wen (張森文) was found dead two months after his house was demolished by the Miaoli County authorities in July last year in the name of county development. His death was determined to be a suicide, though his family and supporters blamed the government.
Liu was barred from paying his respects to Chang by the deceased man’s family and supporters.
Chen admitted to throwing a shoe at the commissioner over the expropriations, prompting Liu to file a lawsuit that saw Chen made to pay NT$10,000.
Chen was also indicted by the Miaoli District Court for interfering with official duties and destroying property, among other charges related to the incident.
The poll was conducted by the TVBS Poll Center from Friday last week to Tuesday night. A total of 973 respondents aged 20 and above from the constituency were contacted.
The survey has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS