A report yesterday that CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC) chairman Derek Chen (陳金德) is to run for Yilan County Commissioner sparked speculation about the regional election, despite Chen’s denial.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) plans to make Chen Yilan’s acting commissioner before designating him the party’s candidate for the commissioner election next year, the Chinese-language China Times said, citing an unnamed DPP source.
Chen will be named acting commissioner following the conclusion of the National Games in Yilan, but before the county council is reconvened, the China Times said.
Photo: CNA
The paper said DPP Electoral Strategy Committee convener Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) had argued in favor of Chen for the race, which is expected to be tough, because he is a former Yilan county councilor and a fellow member of the “New Tide” faction.
“At the moment, I do not have plans or thoughts of running for Yilan County Commissioner,” Chen said when asked to respond.
“This is just some newspaper leak, although I am pretty surprised,” said DPP Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀), who has announced his candidacy in the nomination process for county commissioner.
Chen Ou-po said he declared his intention to run as a candidate in June after he was in March accosted by party leaders.
“Naming an acting commissioner is the decision and prerogative of the party’s central organization and I am not at liberty to comment,” Chen Ou-po said.
“We go way back. We are competitors within the party and partners outside of it. If he returns to run in Yilan, we will make some very beautiful sparks fly,” he said of his relations with Derek Chen.
Responding to rumors that Derek Chen is backed by high-level officials in the administration, Chen Ou-po said he was confident he had garnered enough support.
“Feel free to ask Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) or President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文),” he said.
The DPP Electoral Strategy Committee is confident that both Acting Yilan County Commissioner Wu Tze-cheng (吳澤成) and Derek Chen would make excellent candidates with their broad experience in government, DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) said.
The committee expects to finish nominating candidates that would run for the DPP in the city mayor and county commissioner elections by Lunar New Year, he said.
The committee calls on party politicians to reach an agreement with each other and prevent contested primaries, Chang said.
Although Yilan historically leans toward the DPP, the election this year could prove challenging and the party needs unity, he added.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) said the party has “high hopes” for Yilan. adding that the KMT will field a strong candidate regardless of whom the DPP sends.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a