Fortune-seekers came from far and wide to receive a "lucky" red envelope from President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on the first day of the Lunar New Year yesterday.
First in line was Chuang Sheng-jung (
PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YI, TAIPEI TIMES
One family flew in from the offshore island of Kinmen. With their fellow fortune-seekers they shared one wish: The hope that the Year of the Horse will be better than the last, when the nation was hit by its worst economic downturn on record.
Not even a cash offer could deter Chuang to give up his spot in line. "Someone tried to buy my place with NT$20,000, but of course I turned it down," he said.
In all, the president handed out 20,000 red envelopes yesterday along with his wife, Wu Shu-chen (
The envelopes contained two NT$100 bills and were adorned with the characters for "lucky and fulfilled" (吉祥、圓滿)" in Hokkien. Chen gave away NT$4 million yesterday.
While in the past many people preferred to save bills given out by Chen and his predecessor, Lee Teng-hui (
"I hope the president's good fortune can bring me luck and help me win the top prize in the lottery," said Yu Chun-shuang (余春霜) of Nantou County, who was second in line to receive a red envelope yesterday.
This is the second year Chen has handed out red envelopes on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Thousands of neighbors and visitors crowded the streets and alleys of Hsichuan village (
The line extended for more than 3km. But by 1pm the last enveloped was handed out and many people returned home empty-handed.
Meanwhile, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday attended an Aboriginal ceremony to mark the New Year in Taoyuan County, where Lu is from.
Lu participated in a ceremony for planting a tree and flowers. Afterward, the vice president appealed to politicians, saying she hoped they would display better manners in the Year of Horse.
"No matter whether it's the ruling DPP or opposition parties, everyone should consider the welfare of their fellow countrymen and earn a good reputation that will last forever," Lu said.
When asked about recent suitors who have publicly demonstrated their love for the vice president, Lu said that was she was too old to worry about others' romantic intentions.
"My mind is now as stable as a monk's, so I have no reaction to these gestures," she joked.
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
An Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, the first service of the airline since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. Flight EK366 took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 3:51am yesterday and landed at 4:02pm before taxiing to the airport’s D6 gate at Terminal 2 at 4:08pm, data from the airport and FlightAware, a global flight tracking site, showed. Of the 501 passengers on the flight, 275 were Taiwanese, including 96 group tour travelers, the data showed. Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting (黃荷婷) greeted Taiwanese passengers at the airport and
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
STRAIT OF HORMUZ: In the case of a prolonged blockade by Iran, Taiwan would look to sources of LNG outside the Middle East, including Australia and the US Taiwan would not have to ration power due to a shortage of natural gas, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday, after reports that the Strait of Hormuz was closed amid the conflict in the Middle East. The government has secured liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies for this month and contingency measures are in place if the conflict extends into next month, Kung told lawmakers. Saying that 25 percent of Taiwan’s natural gas supplies are from Qatar, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) asked about the situation in light of the conflict. There would be “no problems” with
RSS