Taipei Department of Information and Tourism Commissioner Chen Su-yu (陳思宇), an ardent supporter of Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), yesterday registered to contest the legislative seat representing Taipei’s Shilin (士林) and Datong (大同) districts after former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) resigned to focus on last month’s mayoral election.
When asked about her apparent change of heart, Chen said that she had always been prepared to run for a seat and was simply waiting for the right time to do so.
In a three-minute declaration of intent, Chen said that she was running for the position to change the political culture and the lives of Taiwanese, regardless of whether their political views align with those of the pan-green or pan-blue camp.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Faced with a difficult battle, as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the DPP have also named candidates for the seat, Chen said that she would do her utmost to win the public’s support.
When asked whether she would seek another city government post should she not win, Chen said: “I’ll be telling Mayor Ko that I am waiting for him at the central government.”
Chen said her resignation yesterday afternoon marked the closing of her chapter in the Taipei City Government.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
DPP Taipei City Councilor Ho Chih-wei (何志偉) was nominated to run for the Shilin-Datong constituency after talks of a possible collaboration between the party and the “white force” led by Ko, an independent, did not come to pass.
The DPP-Ko cooperation is a non-issue, Ho said, adding that he had supported Ko’s policies when they were sound and opposed them when they were not.
The meeting on Thursday between President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Ko symbolized a political settlement between the two camps and continued cooperation in terms of policies, Ho said.
He would endeavor to win back the public’s trust, but would not be unduly concerned with the by-election, Ho said.
Polls show that he should receive support from at least a quarter of the people who voted for Ko in the nine-in-one elections, Ho said.
When asked about media reports that negotiations between the DPP and Ko had broken down, the Taipei mayor said: “We waited, but no one came calling.”
Ko said he was unsure whether anyone in the DPP was actually making the decisions, as the party had not acted, despite there being a lot of talk about possible cooperation.
In response, DPP by-election oversight division convener Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) said that there had never been a definitive decision to cooperate with the Ko clique.
Ho’s chances of winning would not be diminished, despite there being no collaboration, Gao said.
Additional reporting by Peng Wan-hsin
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 Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS