Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) yesterday threw his support behind Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Ping-jui’s (吳秉叡) bid for New Taipei City mayor in next year’s local elections.
“Among many qualified candidates for New Taipei City mayor, Wu is the most suitable. I wish him good luck in the [DPP] primary election,” Lai said.
“Wu has dedicated himself to the development of New Taipei City for more than 20 years and is committed to making the city prosper,” Lai said, adding that Wu is a leader of the DPP caucus with an outstanding legislative performance.
Lai said he would dedicate his energy toward developing Tainan at a time when major construction projects are under way, such as an underground railway project and the reconstruction of the Weiguan Jinlong complex, which collapsed during a major earthquake last year.
A possible bid by Lai in next year’s mayoral elections came to the public’s attention after former DPP chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) at a dinner party on Sunday pledged his support for Wu’s bid to run for New Taipei City mayor on the condition that Lai does not intend to run.
“If Lai wants to join the mayoral election in his hometown of New Taipei City, we are willing to support him. I am willing to be his campaign director. If Lai does not join the election, I think Wu is the most suitable candidate,” Su said.
Wu has served New Taipei City residents for 20 years, including six years as a confidential secretary at the former Taipei County government, making him the most qualified candidate for mayor, Su said.
The development of New Taipei City has fallen behind the other five special municipalities and the next mayor should have the passion and ability to lead the city, the former Taipei County commissioner said.
Wu and DPP legislators Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) and Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) are likely to compete for the DPP’s nomination to run for New Taipei City mayor, while former premier Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) was also named as a possible candidate.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
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