President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), in his role as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, called for party unity in Taoyuan County yesterday as he stepped up campaigning for party candidates ahead of the Feb. 27 legislative by-elections.
“The KMT must be united to win the by-elections. We will face defeat if the party is in any way split,” Ma said while campaigning for Apollo Chen (陳學聖).
Ma praised Chen as a diligent candidate with integrity and discipline, and he — along with other major KMT politicians in the county, such as the county commissioner, the county council speaker and the Jhongli City mayor — called on supporters to vote for Chen to enhance development in Taoyuan.
Ma has spent most of the Lunar New Year holidays touring the nation stumping for candidates in Taoyuan, Hualien, Hsinchu and Chiayi counties.
The KMT lost all three legislative by-elections held last month to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and has been trying to integrate its local factions ahead of the next elections.
Asked about Taichung Mayor Jason Hu’s (胡志強) comments in a TV interview on Wednesday about his reluctance to become premier, Ma declined to comment except to praise Hu as a great leader.
“Mayor Hu has performed very well over the years. I’ve known him for 40 years and he is a talented, outstanding leader,” Ma said.
In the interview on SETV Hu said he had asked Ma not to appoint him as premier last year after former premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) stepped down.
“I was upset about the rumor that I would take over as the new premier, and I begged the president not to invite me to take the job. I even asked the president whether I should kneel down to beg him,” Hu said in the interview.
Hu said he wasn’t interested in a job in the central government, and that he had told the president not to replace Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) and Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫) before the 2012 presidential election.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
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