Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday declared his candidacy for a legislative seat in Keelung, ending speculation that he was planning to run in a legislative district where the party usually struggles.
Hau said he decided to enter the election in Keelung as part of the KMT’s strategy to “maximize the number of seats” the party can win in elections to be held on Jan. 16 for the ninth legislature.
Tasked with overseeing the party’s legislative nominations, Hau said he would do everything he could “to boost the party’s morale” when he was asked to comment on KMT Vice Chairperson Huang Min-hui’s (黃敏惠) apparent hesitancy to run for a legislative seat in Chiayi City — where she served as mayor for eight years.
The KMT faces a very tough battle to preserve its majority in the upcoming elections, Hau said, adding that “unity is the only way to secure victory.”
“I would never refuse or fear to go into battle for the good of the KMT,” Hau said.
Hau was previously said to have been considering making a legislative bid for a seat in Kaohsiung, Tainan or Taichung.
The decision to run in Keelung was made after a discussion with KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), Hau said.
Keelung was traditionally a pan-blue camp stronghold, but the mayoral election in November last year was won by Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as allegations of corruption involving former Keelung city council speaker Huang Ching-tai (黃景泰) led to a split in votes for the pan-blue camp.
Hau is to be joined in the race for a legislative seat in Keelung by 43-year-old Keelung City Councilor Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) of the DPP and People First Party candidate Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄), who has represented the city for three terms.
Liu said it is strange that Hau has decided to run in a legislative election when he could rather have run for president.
“Could the KMT not find anyone from Keelung to run?” Tsai said.
Keelung Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) of the KMT said in February that he would not seek re-election, citing the party’s thrashing in the nine-in-one elections in November last year.
At least five KMT members have said they are interested in running for the seat, including Hsieh Li-kung, Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥), son of former Keelung mayor Lin Shui-mu (林水木), and Legislator-at-large Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍), among others.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS