One of the most urgent tasks the nation must attend to after today’s elections is the promotion of “political reconciliation” to bring about social harmony, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.
Ko made the remark in response to media queries about how he plans to prioritize between two of his feuding allies, Sunflower Movement activist Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Hsinchu legislative candidate Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), for whom Ko had supported for several months.
The Chinese-language China Times on Thursday reported that Ker vented his anger over Lin campaigning for his rival, New Power Party Hsinchu legislative candidate Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智), who had criticized Ker as being “only good at dealmaking.”
Ker cited the help DPP offered Lin and Sunflower movement activists during their occupation of the Legislative Yuan’s main chamber and his role as a mediator that helped resolve the standoff between the protestors and President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration by subjecting the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement to a review.
Ko said it is unnecessary to “pick sides” when two people disagree with each other and that people should learn to accommodate different views.
“This is something society needs to work on. We should learn to tolerate, accept and appreciate. While it is hard to appreciate someone’s shortcomings, we should at least learn to tolerate and accept them,” the mayor said.
One area where Taipei is more advanced than other municipalities is that fewer ideological conflicts exist between the pan-green and pan-blue camps, which is manifest in Taipei city councilors’ “pragmatic” discussions regarding budget requests submitted by the city government, Ko said.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
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