Hualien Mayor Tien Chih-hsuan (田智宣), who was the only Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member to have been elected as a municipal official in Hualien and was considered a pioneer for the party in an area that is overwhelmingly pro-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), died yesterday at the age of 56.
Tien was diagnosed with lung cancer before the Jan. 16 elections.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), accompanied by DPP Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), arrived at Tien’s residence late yesterday afternoon to pay her respects, after inspecting two air force bases in Hualien County.
Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei Times
“Tien was a person who wholeheartedly focused on his work, and would even sacrifice his life for it,” Tsai said. “There is a lot of work he was yet to complete. We will help him to finish what he could not.”
Tsai had already been scheduled to visit Tien yesterday while she was in Hualien.
Tien’s wife, Chang Mei-hui (張美慧), said she is happy she married Tien and became part of his family.
“I believe we will meet again. I will shed my tears in a place where no one is around,” she said.
Hsiao, the first DPP legislator elected in Hualien County since 1992, lamented Tien’s passing on Facebook.
“This has been a disturbing night, the thing that would sadden me the has happened. All these years you have been my most important partner and supporter in Hualien, and you have been someone to rely on for leading Hualien forward,” Hsiao wrote. “My heart ached to see your pain and suffering, but at the end, we still have to say goodbye, so that you may be freed from the sickness. Your efforts have left beautiful marks for Hualien.”
Tien started his political career in a village warden’s office. Over the past 20 years he was elected a Hualien County councilor, Jian Township (吉安) mayor, and Hualien mayor, without loosing an election, creating a legacy in Hualien, where pan-blue politicians enjoy overwhelming support.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
RSS