The pan-blue alliance showed signs of a split in Kaohsiung City, with a march scheduled for yesterday being cancelled due to disagreements between members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP).
KMT legislators and city councilors who declined to be identified said the demonstration in Taipei was dominated by PFP figures who had nothing to lose. They said pro-localization KMT figures in southern Taiwan cared more about strengthening their relationship with vote captains.
The result of the presidential election showed that the KMT had lost support in the south.
The party will be put to the test in city council elections in Kaohsiung next month. The elections are the result of a bribery scandal involving the election for council speaker in December 2002.
Legislative elections next December will also be crucial for the party's future.
In Tainan, where President Chen Shui-bian (
According to Tainan Prosecutor Wang Sen-jung (
"False reports will only postpone our clearing up the criminal case," Wang said, urging the public not to provide false evidence.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau released reports yesterday suggesting the gunman could have not been close to the targets.
Reacting to the continuing demonstration in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei, the chiefs of both Kaohsiung City and Kaohsiung County yesterday stressed the importance of functional public authorities in a civil society, saying some people's lack of faith in the state shows a lack of respect for democracy.
Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday that the lack of trust would pose problems for public authorities.
"The most serious political problem is the lack of trust in society," he said.
Hsieh said the city government would investigate alleged irregularities in the presidential election in order to win residents' trust.
Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (
Yang said the county government would cooperate with any recount.
"But I don't quite understand why the pan-blue camp remains suspicious. It obviously underestimates people's wisdom. The international press conference held by the camp in Taipei incurred the ridicule of experts," Yang said.
It's widely assumed that the number of ballots for the DPP might increase in the south in the event of a recount.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
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