Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday called on Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) supporters to mobilize at least 1.5 million votes for the party’s at-large legislative seats, while casting their presidential ballots for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), to defend the nation’s sovereignty against Beijing’s ambitions.
“On January 16, please cast your party ballot for the TSU and the presidential ballot for Tsai,” Lee said to hundreds of people attending the TSU’s 14th anniversary celebration in Taipei, during which the TSU also released its list of 16 at-large legislative candidates.
Lee said that the Jan. 16 elections would mark the beginning of changes in Taiwan and that it is equally important to have the Legislative Yuan help Taiwan to “stand firmly” and to “walk toward a new direction,” as it is to have Tsai elected as president.
He said that in the past the TSU has served as a barrier against President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) China-leaning policies and that the TSU would continue to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty in the legislature in the future.
Lee added that the nation’s polices have undergone some changes since the Sunflower movement last year, as more young people are becoming involved in politics.
Lee said that the TSU would represent traditional Taiwan-oriented politics and the party would work together to defend national sovereignty.
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and DPP Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) also attended the event.
The TSU’s at-large candidate list includes the legislators Lai Chen-chang (賴振昌) and Chou Ni-an (周倪安), while the head of the pro-independence group Radical Flank (基進側翼), Chen Yi-chi (陳奕齊) tops the list, showing the TSU’s determination to join forces with new and younger politicians, TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) said.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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