Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday urged the New Power Party (NPP) to continue with its election campaign despite its tight budget and think about what it stands for.
“The NPP is feeling alive again,” Chen wrote on Facebook after meeting with NPP Chairman Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明), NPP office director Chen Hui-min (陳惠敏) and Kaohsiung City Councilor Lin Yu-kai (林于凱), who visited his home in Kaohsiung.
The meeting was arranged on Hsu’s request and lasted for about an hour, NPP spokesman Lee Chao-li (李兆立) said, adding that it was a learning experience for Hsu.
Photo: Peng Wan-hsin, Taipei Times
The NPP would like to visit a senior politician, given that it has nominated legislative candidates in Kaohsiung and has city councilors there, Lee said.
Chen Shui-bian was particularly interested in the NPP’s campaign in the city’s Fongshan District (鳳山) and encouraged the NPP to conduct an election campaign that is “true to itself,” Lee said.
The group discussed general matters as well as the nation’s political landscape, Chen Hui-min said, adding that the former president, who is on medical parole, seemed to have retained his sharp senses.
Chen Shui-bian encouraged the NPP to have individuality, make the most of a financially difficult campaign and think clearly what its purpose is, he said.
Chen Shui-bian told them that he had initially thought that the NPP lacked a clear objective and was on the brink of dissolution, which worried him, as he believed that the NPP performed well at the legislature, Chen Hui-min said.
Meeting with Hsu allayed Chen Shui-bian’s worries and he was convinced that the party “would not fall apart,” Chen Hui-min said.
The former president said he had been brainstorming about how to help President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) win the election, adding that if it was a head-to-head race between Tsai and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), Tsai had a greater chance of winning, Chen Hui-min said.
If Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) or Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) entered as a third candidate, Tsai would need to think about whether she needs a new strategy, Chen Shui-bian was quoted as saying.
The former president urged Chen Hui-min to visit markets and show up at intersections to boost her visibility in her run a legislative seat representing Fongshan, as this would help her against mobilization by the KMT, which hinges on an old network, Chen Hui-min said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS