President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday in his Lunar New Year message expressed hope for harmony among the ruling and opposition parties, and solidarity among society, to help the nation continue to develop.
Lai made the remarks in a video released last night, before Lunar New Year’s Eve today.
The president expressed his gratitude to “everyone” for their efforts over the past year in overcoming many challenges, which he said allowed Taiwan to progress and play a more important role in international society.
Photo: Screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr page
“Everyone is a Taiwan hero,” he said, adding that in the new year, the government would continue to do its best to develop the country and spur economic growth.
This year, the government would launch the Youth Overseas Dream Fund program aimed at supporting young people to realize their dreams of gaining experience overseas, he said.
Lai pledged to firmly carry out “three main missions” — maintain the nation’s survival and development, protect people’s lives and properties, and take care of the livelihood of more than 23 million people in Taiwan — to make “Taiwan strong and capable.”
Citing a Taiwanese proverb saying that “harmony in a family makes everything successful (家和萬事興),” Lai extended wishes of peace, reunion and happiness to the whole nation.
Lai also said that he hopes there is harmony among the ruling and opposition parties, and solidarity among society, and that Taiwan continues to stride forward.
While Lai won the presidential election last year, his Democratic Progressive Party lost its majority in the Legislative Yuan, giving the opposition control over the legislature that includes spending proposals.
Last week the opposition, citing a need to cut waste, passed spending cuts the government says amount to NT$207.6 billion (US$6.35 billion), or 6.6 percent of the proposed total budget, for central government spending this year.
“I wish everyone a happy new year, as well as prosperity and great success in everything you do in the new year,” he said.
Lai ended his with greetings in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), Hakka, the Lienchiang County (Matsu) dialect of the Eastern Min (閩東) and English.
Presidents traditionally make a New Year address on Jan. 1 and a Lunar New Year address on the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve.
The Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac begins tomorrow, and the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday began on Saturday.
Sources said that the red “Team Taiwan” hoodie worn by Lai in the video is a collaboration between the Presidential Office and the Chinese Professional Baseball League, with all the materials and production made in Taiwan.
The two would later announce when the hoodie would be mass produced, they said.
Additional reporting by Reuters and CNA
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
REBUFFED: In response to Chinese criticism over recent arms sales, Washington urged Beijing to engage in meaningful dialogue instead of threats and intimidation Washington’s long-term commitment to Taiwan would not change, the US Department of State said yesterday, urging Beijing to stop pressuring Taiwan and engage in meaningful bilateral dialogues. The remarks came in response to a backlash from Beijing about Washington’s latest approval of arms sales to Taiwan. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement on Wednesday that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US has asked to purchase an arms package, including Tactical Mission Network Software; AH-1W helicopter spare and repair parts; M109A7 self-propelled howitzers; HIMARS long range precision strike systems; tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missiles; Javelin
RSS