The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday announced that former legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), director of the party’s Department of International Affairs, would represent the DPP in the Hualien legislative by-election next month.
The legislative by-elections on Feb. 27 will fill the seats left vacant in Taoyuan, Hualien, Hsinchu and Chiayi counties after the legislators from those districts were elected as county commissioners in last month’s county chief elections.
Hsiao had been rumored to be the DPP’s candidate for Halien County commissioner in last month’s election, but the party later decided to throw its weight behind an independent who came third out of the three candidates.
In addition to Hsiao, the DPP line-up for the by-elections next month includes current Taoyuan County Councilor Huang Jen-chu (黃仁杼) for the legislative spot in that county. Former lawmaker Peng Shao-chin (彭紹瑾) will vie for the Hsinchu County seat and former Chiayi County commissioner Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) hopes to be the next legislator for the southern county.
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Hung Yao-fu (洪耀福) said the four nominees were chosen for their expertise in international affairs, legal knowledge and past political achievements.
The party has also been gearing up for tomorrow’s legislative by-election.
At a rally for Kuo Jung-tsung (郭榮宗), the DPP’s candidate in Taoyuan County’s second district, DPP Secretary-General Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), urged voters to use their ballots to end the practice of vote-buying, which he said was a tactic frequently used by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Su said the Taoyuan County post was left vacant because the KMT’s Liao Cheng-ching (廖正井), who had been elected to the position, was found guilty of vote-buying.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS