Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) at a city council session yesterday apologized for taking three months off last year to campaign for January’s presidential election.
Han said that he was now prioritizing municipal affairs and was focused primarily on preventing the spread of COVID-19.
He was “doing two days’ work each day” to make up for time lost, he said.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
Han on May 5 attended a city council session for the first time in 201 days, giving a report on pandemic response measures.
At yesterday’s session, Han said the Kaohsiung City Government would be injecting NT$50 million (US$1.67 million) into the city’s economy to revitalize it, and that a cross-departmental team had been formed to handle the city’s response measures.
The city government would also tap into natural disaster reserve funds to procure supplies, he said.
Separately, Han listed his achievements, saying that since he took office the city’s agricultural exports had increased, tourism to the city was up, and progress had been made on tackling water and air pollution.
There were also improvements to English-language education and meal subsidies for children from disadvantaged families, he said.
The city government was now aiming to improve the economy, move forward with construction projects and connect Kaohsiung with the international community, he said.
With regards to the economy, Han reiterated his proposed “Love Ferris wheel” and shopping mall project, and said that it was “regrettable” that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, which controls the site proposed for the project, had not yet given its approval.
The city government also plans to offer bursaries of NT$20,000 each to 100 outstanding Kaohsiung college students each year to help them study abroad, he said, adding that the names of the selected students would be announced in September.
Han said that he was “very sorry” for taking three months off while campaigning last year, but that he and the city government had been making up for it by working hard over the past three months so that residents could “live in peace and work happily.”
In response, Wecare Kaohsiung founder Aaron Yin (尹立) called Han’s apology “crocodile tears,” and urged city residents not to “be tricked again.”
Separately, in a statement issued yesterday the Taiwan Statebuilding Party said that while Han “apologized for taking leave,” he was “not apologizing to the city’s residents.”
The motivation for the apology was that Han had seen the results of a public survey, which found that residents were upset about Han taking leave from his duties to campaign, and that 45 percent of residents were in favor of a recall, the party said.
Han apologized in an attempt to avoid the recall, it added.
Meanwhile, former Chinese Nationalist Party chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said he believed the city’s residents would give Han another chance as long as “he worked hard on fighting the spread of COVID-19 and revitalizing the economy.”
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday hosted a reception to celebrate Double Ten National Day. Conservative Canadian lawmaker Marc Dalton called Taiwan a “beacon of courage and resilience in the face of rising authoritarianism,” according to a post on the Taiwan in Vancouver Facebook page. Also in attendance were fellow conservative caucus members Tako Van Popta and Chak Au, who said that Taiwan plays an “indispensable role” in ensuring global peace, prosperity and stability due to its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. Canadian lawmaker Michael Cooper also recorded a message wishing Taiwan a
RSS