Concerns about a possible pan-blue split over the Taipei mayoral election mounted again yesterday as the People First Party (PFP) urged Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
In an effort to prevent a repeat of the 1994 Taipei mayoral election, when two pan-blue candidates split the ticket and gave Chen Shui-bian (
Ma yesterday declined to confirm the allegation, but said that the pan-blue camp should only have one mayoral candidate.
"The Democratic Progressive Party is losing its credibility, and pan-blue supporters would be very disappointed if we lost the election," Ma said yesterday at Taipei City Hall.
Ma said that KMT Secretary-General Chan Chuen-pao (
Legislator Lee Hung-chun (
"If Chairman Ma wants to dissuade Chairman Soong from running, he should talk to him in person," he said yesterday.
Lee said that the PFP had always made way for the KMT in previous elections after KMT-PFP negotiations, and called on the KMT not to cause a pan-blue split by spreading rumors.
Soong is believed to be likely to enter the Taipei mayoral election, joining the KMT's candidate Hau Lung-bin (
"What should be discouraged are irrelevant regulations and those who never want to find solutions to problems," he said yesterday while addressing Taipei City's problems in what he called an "inspection tour" that would address issues in the city's 12 districts.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
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