President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday discussed the government’s efforts to promote Taiwan as a provider of humanitarian aid and clean government, promising to take these policies even further if re-elected.
Ma, chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), yesterday visited religious leaders in Greater Kaohsiung to seek support for the Jan. 14 elections and said he favored the humanitarian spirit of Buddhism in the implementation of government policies.
“Buddhism in Taiwan plays an active role in promoting charity events and social welfare, and such acts represent the implementation of our goal for Taiwan to become a peacemaker and provider of humanitarian aid around the world,” he said while attending the official opening of a memorial hall at Foguang Shan Monastery.
Later, when attending the launch of a retired civil servants’ support group in Taipei, Ma cited the government’s achievements in sustaining economic growth, creating job opportunities and adopting anti-corruption measures.
“The Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] has accused my administration of being incompetent, but it failed to levy a luxury tax, promote second-generation healthcare insurance or attend the World Health Assembly [WHA]. The KMT accomplished all of the above. How is this incompetent?” he asked.
With the presidential election less than a month away, Ma yesterday started canvassing in Taoyuan, before heading to Hsinchu County to campaign for the KMT’s legislative candidates.
Ma traveled in a bullet-proof campaign vehicle and waved to local residents as he was driven around Taoyuan.
Ma will continue to focus his campaign efforts in northern Taiwan, with planned home-stays in Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli counties.
In the face of a close campaign against DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the KMT is seeking to consolidate its support in the north and win at least 600,000 more votes in the area than the DPP’s presidential pairing.
An exhibition demonstrating the rejuvenation of the indigenous Kuskus Village in Pingtung County’s Mudan Township (牡丹) opened at the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s conservation station in Taipei on Thursday. Agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) said they have been promoting the use and development of forestry resources to local indigenous residents for eight years to drive regional revitalization. While modern conservation approaches mostly stem from western scientific research, eco-friendly knowledge and skills passed down through generations of indigenous people, who have lived in Taiwan for centuries, could be more suitable for the environment, he said. The agency’s Pingtung branch Director-General Yang Jui-fen (楊瑞芬)
Traffic controls are to be in place in Taipei starting tonight, police said, as rallies supporting recall efforts targeting the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers as well as a rally organized by the KMT opposing the recall campaigns are to take place tomorrow. Traffic controls are to be in place on City Hall Road starting from 10pm tonight and on Jinan Road Section 1 starting from 8am tomorrow, police said. Recall campaign groups in Taipei and New Taipei advocating for the recall of KMT legislators, along with the Safeguard Taiwan, Anti-Communist Alliance (反共護台聯盟), have previously announced plans for motorcycle parades and public
A tropical depression near the northwestern Philippines is expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Danas by early tomorrow, becoming the fourth tropical storm of the season, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). As of 8am today, the system was located approximately 370 kilometers southwest of Taiwan's southern tip, Cape Eluanbi, and has developed a more organized structure, forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The storm is currently moving slowly toward the Taiwan Strait in an east-northeast direction and may trigger a sea warning if it reaches tropical storm strength tomorrow morning. The system is expected to shift direction later tomorrow toward the north
‘ON THE RIGHT TRACK’: US analysts praised the ‘less scripted’ drills as strengthening defenses and resilience, as confusion and spontaneity are common in actual warfare This month’s annual Han Kuang military exercises are to feature six types of “gray zone” tactics used by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with the aim of weakening their effectiveness, Chief of the General Staff Admiral Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹) told the military yesterday. The 41st Han Kuang drills, scheduled from Wednesday next week through July 18, would simulate a Chinese blockade and invasion, with President William Lai (賴清德) on Tuesday saying that Taiwan is already in a “war without gun smoke.” In a speech broadcast to officers and soldiers yesterday, Mei said that the six types of harassment are: legal warfare,
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