Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Tsai Chin-lung (蔡錦隆) yesterday announced that he would run for Taichung mayor in the 2018 local elections after resigning from his post as the party’s Taichung branch director, while other local election hopefuls also responded to rumors about their interest by throwing their hat into the ring.
In response to Tsai’s move, Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said that he welcomed anyone to join the race, adding that his only priority is running a good municipal government that satisfies the will of the people.
Lin said although he is only halfway through his four-year term, he has already begun to see positive changes in the municipality as a result of his administration, adding that he welcomes the addition of another contender for the office to give the public more choice.
Many had speculated that Lin would be competing with KMT caucus secretary-general Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) in the Taichung mayoral election.
“The voters just want what is best for Taichung’s future. Whatever the public wishes for I will stand together with them,” Chiang said.
Chiang said that his priority at the moment is to fulfill his duties as a lawmaker and to serve the best interests of his voters, adding that he welcomes Tsai’s participation in the 2018 election and is grateful for his work in the Taichung chapter at a difficult time for the party.
Meanwhile, Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) told reporters he has no preference as to who would be the next mayor of the municipality, adding that he would maintain his neutrality during the election because it is up to Tainan residents to decide which candidate they want to lead them.
“A mayor is here to serve the public. The elections are decided by the public, not the mayor,” Lai said.
There is no such thing as a “successor” in a democratic society, Lai said, adding that “doing a good job and assisting the efforts of the city government” are the most important attributes for the role.
In response to rumors that Lai and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) could enter the Cabinet, Premier Lin Chuan (林全) said during an inspection of a historical and cultural scenery project launched by the Changhua County Government: “Who said that personnel changes are to be made at the end of the year?”
He said that although he is open to proposals of personnel changes at any time, there are no such plans at present.
In the north, New Power Party (NPP) Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), who is reportedly interested in running for New Taipei City mayor, yesterday said he has yet to give the matter any thought.
The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that New Taipei City could have two pan-green candidates in the 2018 local election, one each from the NPP and the Democratic Progressive Party.
There have been rumors that Huang has wanted to run for New Taipei City mayor since leading the Sunflower movement in 2014.
Huang said such rumors are not new, adding: “I won’t ‘dance’ whenever a political rumor appears.”
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
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