Several Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei city councilors yesterday urged the party to nominate its own mayoral candidate, at a meeting with the party’s Central Election Commission to collect opinions on the Taipei mayoral election in November.
Speculation has mounted on whether the DPP would field its own candidate or opt to collaborate with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) again.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Ho Chih-wei (何志偉) compared Ko to a recent food fad, “dirty bread” — bread covered with chocolate dust and filled with cream or custard — saying that eating the bread has made the DPP dirty, but now the fad is over, the party has to rely on itself.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
DPP Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) said that the time to cooperate with Ko, an independent, is over and many DPP supporters are urging the party to field its own candidate, and the party should respect their feelings.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Wang Wei-chung (王威中) said that many of the participants at the meeting supported the idea of having the party field its own candidate, although some said that they have also heard DPP supporters saying they would vote for the party’s councilor candidates, but support Ko even if the party fields its own mayoral candidate.
Wang said that some attendees suggested that the party nominate either Premier William Lai (賴清德) or Presidential Office Secretary-General and former Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) as its mayoral candidate.
In related news, following Ko’s apology in a radio interview on Wednesday to people who were upset over his remark last year that the “two sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family,” several political figures and critics accused him of trying to score political points.
Ko yesterday said he cannot do anything about the fact that there will always be people upset with what he did, adding that he apologized because he was trying to console people who were upset over his “one family” remark.
Noting that there are more than 370,000 Chinese spouses in Taiwan and that China accounts for a good portion of the nation’s export market, Ko said that efforts to reduce tension or conflict in cross-strait relations are still needed.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
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