Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice presidential candidate Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) yesterday paraded through Taipei to stump for the party’s legislative candidates, as well as non-DPP candidates that the party supports, receiving an enthusiastic welcome from supporters along the way.
Driving through crowds of supporters who waved flags, cheered and exploded firecrackers on a pickup truck protected with bulletproof glass, Chen and the candidates supported by the party waved to the crowd, showing each of their numbers on the ballot to urge the crowd to support them.
Setting out from the front entrance of National Taiwan University, Chen accompanied independent candidates Lee Ching-yuan (李慶元) and Billy Pan (潘建志), New Power Party (NPP) candidate Freddy Lim (林昶佐) and DPP candidates Pasuya Yao (姚文智) and Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) on a parade that traversed the city from south to north.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
“We are pleading for your support for the DPP for at-large seats and for the DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). As for constituency representation, please support the good DPP nominees and those [non-DPP] candidates endorsed by the DPP,” Chen said to the onlookers.
Speaking to the media during the campaign event, DPP Taipei City chapter director Huang Cheng-kuo (黃承國) said that the election outcome is looking good for the party in Taipei, which is traditionally considered a KMT stronghold.
“Right now, we are certain [together with the DPP’s allies] to win two seats, we might take a third seat and could even win four seats,” Huang said.
Asked if the DPP is under pressure because some of its at-large votes might go to other friendly parties, Huang said that competition between different parties is normal, but added that the DPP would still urge its supporters to cast their at-large ballots for the DPP.
There are eight constituencies in Taipei, with the DPP currently holding only one seat.
For the upcoming legislative elections, the DPP has nominated two candidates in the city, while endorsing six other candidates who are independent or affiliated with the NPP, the People First Party and the Social Democratic Party.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
RSS