Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) confirmed yesterday that she called in a masseur on the night of the deadly gas pipeline explosions in Greater Kaohsiung, but said she did not use the service as she was communicating with her aides as the incident unfolded.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) told his supporters on Sunday that Chen was enjoying a massage between 10:30pm and midnight on the night of July 31 when the gas explosions ripped through part of the municipality’s Cianjhen (前鎮) and Lingya (苓雅) districts, killing 32 people and leaving hundreds injured.
No command center was set up on the site of the explosion, Yang said, adding that the coordination of the various relevant bureaus was chaotic and missed the first “three golden hours” for disaster response.
Responding to the accusation, Chen, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, yesterday released her phone records from between 10pm on July 31 and 12:27am on Aug. 1.
The records showed 21 incoming and outgoing calls, to Greater Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳), the chief of the Mass Rapid Transit Bureau Chen Tsun-yung (陳存永) and Information Bureau Director-General Ting Yun-kong (丁允恭). There were also four text messages.
While confirming that she called a masseur to her residence, Chen Chu said she did not get a massage because she was too busy contacting other officials and her secretary.
There was no question of her not doing anything in response to the explosions, as has been suggested by some of her critics, she said.
The 64-year-old mayor added that she has been getting regular massages for the past six months, since she injured her spine in an accident.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
RSS