Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) yesterday met members of Yunlin’s local party factions in an effort to finalize the selection of the KMT candidate for the Yunlin County commissioner election.
KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) meanwhile flew to Hualien to discuss the situation with party members after Hualien County Deputy Commissioner Chang Chi-ming (張志明) withdrew from the party to run in the election as an independent.
Wu yesterday met members of six party factions to determine a new candidate after Chang Li-shan (張麗善) withdrew her candidacy on Monday.
PHOTO: CNA
KMT Yunlin branch director Hsu Su-po (?? and Wu Wei-chih (吳威志), a professor at National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, are among the party’s preferred candidates to replace Chang Li-shan.
KMT spokesman Lee Chien-jung (李建榮) said Wu had met several local politicians and party members — including Chang Li-shan’s brother, former Yunlin County commissioner Chang Jung-wei (張榮味) — over the past few days to gauge opinion before finalizing the candidate.
Chang Jung-wei was an influential factional leader in Yunlin, but the candidate he backed for the Yunlin legislative by-election, Chang Ken-hui (張艮輝), lost the poll to Democratic Progressive Party rival Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國).
Chan, meanwhile, met local politicians in Hualien yesterday.
Hualien County Commissioner Hsieh Shen-shan (謝深山), who is reportedly supporting Chang Chi-ming, was not present for Chan’s stop at county government offices.
Chan said he would discuss the situation with Chang Chi-ming and seek his support for the party’s nominee, Tu Li-hua (杜麗華).
KMT Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁), who was barred by the KMT from taking part in the primary because he was found guilty in his first and second trials in two cases, is likely to run for commissioner as well.
Chan said the party would deal with Fu according to party regulations if he joined the election.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of