President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate, yesterday began a five-day motorcade campaign in the run-up to Saturday’s elections.
The motorcade set off from Pingtung County’s Fenggang Village (楓港), her ancestral home, yesterday.
Four years ago in the final week prior to the 2016 elections, she started a similar campaign event in Pingtung, where she experienced the most hospitality, Tsai said, adding that she looked forward to seeing poll results from her hometown the most.
Photo: Chen Yen-ting, Taipei Times
At noon, the motorcade arrived in Kaohsiung, where Tsai was joined by several DPP legislative candidates to seek support throughout the city.
The motorcade arrived in Tainan in the afternoon, where the Tainan Police Bureau mobilized nearly 900 peacekeeping officers to ensure a smooth tour.
Tsai rode behind bulletproof glass in the back of a jeep as she waved to onlookers.
The National Security Bureau has arranged for a vehicle of the same model to follow Tsai to minimize security risks, such as a malfunction of the primary vehicle, a bureau official said.
Later yesterday, Tsai attended a rally in Yunlin County’s Douliou City (斗六), before another rally in Chiayi City in the evening.
Separately yesterday, Tsai’s campaign office in Taipei released a video called “Speak Loudly” (大聲說話), which highlights how precious democracy is by contrasting peace and freedom in Taiwan with clashes and turmoil in Hong Kong, where Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula is implemented.
The elections could determine whether Taiwan moves away from dictatorship or toward it, which is why every Taiwanese must cast the right votes to speak loudly their determination to stand with democracy, freedom and the world, the video said.
The video was directed by Lo Ging-zim (羅景壬), who has received more than 10 awards at home and abroad, such as “Best Commercial of the Year” and “Best Director,” Tsai campaign office spokeswoman Chien Hsu-pei (簡舒培) said.
The video was to appeal to the electorate, asking them not to accept the “one country, two systems” formula or the so-called “1992 consensus,” Chien said, adding that the ballots on Saturday could show the world Taiwan’s firm resolution.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Beijing that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Additional reporting by Lo Tien-pin
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “[we] appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe