The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday questioned the source of funding for the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) election advertisements, saying it suspected the party of financing its campaign with stolen assets.
Hsieh Hsin-ni (
Hsieh estimated that a KMT ad that appeared on the Chinese-language Apple Daily for 43 consecutive days cost more than NT$30 million (US$937,500) -- rather than the NT$10 million the KMT had claimed.
DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh's (
Hsieh Hsin-ni also asked the KMT to offer a clear account on how many of its members had posed as ordinary people in the ads to criticize the government. The DPP accused the KMT's deputy party director in Pingtung County of posing as the owner of a breakfast shop in one of the TV commercials to complain about the economy.
In Kaohsiung County, President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen pledged that the stolen assets reclaimed from the KMT, which he claimed are worth more than NT$200 billion, would be used to finance five educational programs.
They are to offer free kindergarten education, free textbooks for elementary and junior-high school students, free lunches for elementary and junior-high school students, free tuition for junior high school and junior vocational school students and interest-free loans to college students and young business entrepreneurs.
Describing the KMT as an "irrational" opposition party, Chen criticized the KMT's objections to the referendum proposal as a means to protect its dubious properties.
The president also urged the KMT to keep the public in mind by passing the government budget for next year, as well as unfreezing the rest of this year's budget.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
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