With their pets and families in tow, tens of thousands of people packed the Taipei MRT’s Taipei Zoo Station yesterday to join independent Taipei mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and his wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), for a walking event.
Under an almost cloudless blue sky, about 30,000 people flocked to the station near Taipei Zoo in the morning sunshine, not to see the facility’s popular pandas or new additions, but to walk along the nearby Jingmei River (景美溪) trail for the event organized by Ko’s campaign to rally support ahead of next week’s nine-in-one elections.
Although the Ko camp had estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 people would take part, nearly 30,000 turned up, far exceeding expectations.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Many participants brought their pets along, and though these were mostly dogs, one man did bring his pet snake, wearing it around his neck as he walked the trail.
Another group had their Welsh corgis with them and chanted “Corgis support Ko P,” using the Mandarin term for Welsh corgi, ke ji (柯基), which resembles Ko’s nickname “Ko P” (柯P).
The “P” stands for “professor.”
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
A pair of sisters surnamed Tang (唐) said they came from Greater Kaohsiung for the walk, adding that though they are unable to cast votes for Ko since they are not registered Taipei residents, they still wanted to show their support for the candidate.
“This is a very different kind of campaign event: We are not here for free food, or because we are being paid; we actually had to pay a fee to sign up,” the sisters said.
Prior to the start of the event at 9am, Ko gave a bouquet of 99 white roses to his wife, triggering cheers from supporters, since Ko and his wife reportedly argued last week over a post on her Facebook page.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Asked if she is happy now, Chen said: “I hope you guys will make me happier on Nov. 29 [election day].”
Ko’s campaign has also organized a carnival parade in Taipei for today, which is to assemble in Liberty Square at 1pm before departing at 2pm.
TAIWAN PROTECTION MEASURE: US Army General Charles Flynn would not say where in the Asia-Pacific the missiles would be sent, but only that they would arrive in 2024 The US is to send medium-range missiles including the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) and Tomahawk to the Asia-Pacific next year to deter a Chinese attack on Taiwan, US military news Web site Defense One reported. The report cited comments US Army General Charles Flynn made during the annual Halifax International Security Forum on Nov. 19. “We have tested them and we have a battery or two of them today,” Flynn was quoted as saying. “In [20]24. We intend to deploy that system in your region. I’m not going to say where and when. But I will just say that we will
UNUSUAL UPTICK: There are more flu-like illnesses in northern China than in the past 3 years, but data from Beijing showed that known pathogens are responsible Responding to an uptick in respiratory illnesses in China, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it has instructed international airport and port quarantine centers to raise their alert levels, and plans to issue an alert to healthcare practitioners. The number of flu-like illnesses reported in northern China has been increasing for five consecutive weeks, and is higher than the same period in the past three years, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said. “According to the WHO’s latest statement, issued yesterday, information provided by Chinese government showed that the illnesses were mainly reported among children, and the illnesses were attributed
LOYALTY: The 10 active and retired soldiers betrayed the nation and its people by leaking and passing on military secrets to China, the High Prosecutors’ Office said Ten former and current military officers were yesterday indicted on charges of spying for China, including two who allegedly filmed themselves pledging loyalty to Beijing. The High Prosecutors’ Office requested life imprisonment for the suspects in light of the severity of the crime. The 10 active-duty and retired officers included members of the 601st Brigade of the Aviation Special Forces comprising attack helicopter squadrons and elite combat units in charge of defending northern Taiwan, including Taipei. The other suspects came from Huadong Defense Command, in charge of defending the eastern coast; Kinmen Defense Command, in charge of defending Kinmen and Matsu; and one
THREE-WAY RACE: Hou You-yi said until the last minute he hoped to run with Ko Wen-je, but the latter did not pick up the phone when he called to make a final pitch The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) registered their own candidates yesterday after a breakdown in coalition talks, while independent candidate Terry Gou (郭台銘) dropped out, setting up a three-way race for the presidential election in January. TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was the first to officially register his candidacy with the Central Election Commission in Taipei yesterday, shortly after naming TPP Legislator Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) as his running mate. Wu, the daughter of former Shin Kong Financial Holding Co (新光金控) chairman Eugene Wu (吳東進), is a TPP legislator-at-large who was appointed in November last year and had served