The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) shortlisted 43 applicants from an open audition for its nominees for legislative-at-large seats, and they would be interviewed by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), the party chairman and other top party members, starting on Sunday, the TPP said yesterday.
TPP Secretary-General Chang Jer-Yang (張哲揚), central committee members and central advisory committee members would join the interviews, and the final decision could be announced by the end of the month.
The audition was open to the public between Oct. 5 and Oct. 10, and the party received a total of 268 applicants, of which 86.1 percent were men, Chang said.
The majority age group of the applicants is between 36 and 40 years old, accounting for 21.03 percent, and most of the applicants hold a university degree.
Additionally, 22.4 percent have academic backgrounds eligible for being a member of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, 19 percent for the Economics Committee and 18.7 percent for the Education and Culture Committee.
The 43 finalists are between 26 and 50 years old, with 32.6 percent between the ages of 41 and 45, and 65.1 percent hold a master’s degree or higher. Ten people have educational backgrounds eligible for the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, nine people for the Economics Committee and seven people for the Education and Culture Committee.
Chang said some of the applicants have been elected representatives, legislators’ assistants, professors, accountants and lawyers.
When asked if Ko’s aide Taipei City Government adviser Tsai Pi-ju (蔡壁如) had been shortlisted for the TPP’s legislative-at-large nominees list, Chang said he had not yet received any news of it.
Responding to reporters’ questions about whether the party might cooperate with the New Power Party in the legislative election, TPP spokesperson Chen Su-yu (陳思宇) said minor parties have the power to monitor the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party at the Legislative Yuan.
The TPP would not exclude the possibility of working with other parties on some issues, but it has not discussed it yet, she said.
As for the cooperation or competition with former Hon Hai Precision Industry chairman Terry Gou’s (郭台銘) team, they said the TPP has not discussed it with Guo’s team, but if both sides nominate legislative candidates in the same constituency, they would try to negotiate and accept the possibility of cooperating on some issues.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
RSS