Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday accused the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of condoning vote-buying activities as she campaigned in Chiayi alongisde DPP legislative candidates Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) and Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘).
The nation in the past few days has been rocked by a string of probes and arrests of local politicians, including a KMT township council chairman, on suspicion of attempting to buy votes, she said.
The KMT showed “no resolve” in stopping electoral fraud and its behavior is “tantamount to condoning” it, Tsai said, calling on the public to “reject the vote-buying party with their ballots” and “put an end to the vote-buying culture once and for all.”
Photo: Reuters
An increasing amount of alleged electoral fraud has been reported in Chiayi during the last days before the election, particularly from the county’s “seaside region” (海區), involving KMT members, Tsai said, adding that there has been an attempt to “control democracy with money,” which “should not be tolerated and instead be eradicated in a democratic society.”
KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) was “evading the issue” of the KMT’s alleged involvement in vote-buying and his claims of a DPP-led slander campaign were “irresponsible” and “incomprehensible,” Tsai said, adding that she would like to remind Chu that “the vast majority of vote-buying allegations involve the KMT.”
Chu could not claim to be a “reformer” without taking forceful actions to forbid vote-buying by party members, she said, adding that “the nation is watching Chu and the KMT’s response to the vote-buying scandal intently.”
Later yesterday at a press conference in Chaiyi, Tsai said that improving food safety standards would be a priority for the DPP administration, if she is elected.
DPP legislator-at-large candidate Wu Kun-yuh (吳焜裕), an associate professor at National Taiwan University College of Public Health and whom the party has allotted the first place on its list, said at the press conference that the government cannot afford to “do nothing” at a time when the nation is quickly losing confidence in food safety.
He called for the establishment of a “dedicated regulator” that would be able to keep track of the “origin of food products.”
Chiayi County Commissioner Helen Chang (張花冠) said that a future DPP administration would ensure food safety from the source.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
RSS