With only a week until election day, Taipei mayoral candidates Pasuya Yao (姚文智) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and incumbent Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) were yesterday gearing up for the last mile.
Surrounded by younger supporters, Yao announced that his supporters would tomorrow parade around the Taipei Dome before converging on Taipei City Hall Plaza.
At a news conferences held across from the unfinished project, Yao said that Ko is a “liar” who has colluded with construction companies while neglecting the rights and interests of Taipei residents.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
That is the main reason the dome has remained unfinished, Yao said.
He said that he has more than 400 different policy proposals for different districts and he hoped to use the days until the nine-in-one elections on Saturday next week to meet more people and present his vision for the city’s development.
Meanwhile, Ting’s camp held a roadside canvassing event, also in front of the Taipei Dome, with KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌).
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Ting campaign spokesperson Chan Wei-yuan (詹為元) said that such events would be held throughout the week, starting on Guangfu S Road and Guangfu N Road on Monday and moving to Nanjing E Road on Tuesday.
From Wednesday, Ting would ride around the city in a jeep making visits, Chan said.
A rally is planned tomorrow evening at Rongxing Garden Park (榮星花園) in Zhongshan District (中山), Chan said.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, Ko’s campaign said it would stage a seven-hour rally tomorrow at the North Gate (北門) near Taipei Railway Station, the restoration of which Ko considers one of his first accomplishments as Taipei mayor.
Ko’s administration in 2015 removed within seven days an elevated off-ramp that partially obstructed the view of the North Gate, a feat that many Taipei residents considered to be highly efficient.
Additional reporting by Huang Chien-hao
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today.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 Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
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