Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday said that flag platforms should be installed on all the nation’s mountains with peaks 3,000m or higher so flag-raising ceremonies could be held on them, as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate held a meet-and-greet event in Chiayi County.
The idea was suggested by one of the people at the Jhongpu Township (中埔) event, to which Han replied it “must be done.”
Yushan (玉山), Hehuanshan (合歡山), Lishan (梨山) and Alishan (阿里山), among other mountains, are popular spots to visit on New Year’s Eve, and the flag should be flown during countdown events at those locations, the person said.
Photo: Hsu Li-chuen, Taipei Times
“Although there are several hundred mountains that are 3,000m or taller, I will do my best to get it done. Two or three hundred mountains will not be easy, but having a patriotic spirit, a culture of patriotism, is a must,” Han said.
Han’s wife, Lee Chia-fen (李佳芬), arrived in Manila yesterday morning on the first leg of a trip to stump for Han in the Philippines and Vietnam. She is scheduled to meet with Taiwanese businesspeople and members of the expatriate community in both countries.
“This year our compatriots overseas are very concerned about the future of the Republic of China. Our friends in the overseas community have been enthusiastically inviting us to visit,” she told reporters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport before boarding her flight to Manila.
She was sorry to be making the trip on her own, but Han is busy campaigning, she said.
“The fate of the Republic of China is tied to all Chinese, both at home and abroad,” she said.
Asked if her visit would affect expatriate communities’ relations with the Democratic Progressive Party administration, Lee said she would “act as her hosts see fit,” and would not cause any trouble.
“If we are of the same mindset, then I really could not care if people want to kick up a fuss,” she said.
“I hope everyone can express their concerns calmly, because we are all members of the Zhonghua minzu [中華民族, Chinese ethnic groups]. The future of the Republic of China is everyone’s concern,” she said.
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