The Taipei High Administrative Court yesterday rejected an appeal by Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) to block a recall vote against him.
It was the third time Han challenged the Central Election Commission’s plan to hold the vote on June 6. Han can still appeal yesterday’s decision.
The commission on Jan. 20 announced that a petition had garnered enough signatures to launch the recall process.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
On April 8, Han’s lawyers filed a challenge with the court seeking to suspend the commission’s right to proceed with the vote. The court on April 17 ruled against Han.
Han’s lawyers then filed an appeal with the Supreme Administrative Court, which on May 7 also ruled against Han.
Han’s lawyers on Monday last week filed another challenge with the Taipei High Administrative Court seeking to prevent the commission from holding the vote, resulting in yesterday’s decision.
The court rejected Han’s argument that the recall vote would damage his reputation and infringe on his right as an elected official to conduct his duties, saying that such consequences would depend on the poll’s outcome.
The court also rejected Han’s argument that holding the vote would increase the burden on Kaohsiung City Government employees and delay the city government’s planned work programs, saying that neither is a provision under election law to suspend the poll.
Kaohsiung Information Bureau Director-General Cheng Chao-hsin (鄭照新) said that Han and his team would consult with lawyers for legal advice.
Separately yesterday, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus held a news conference to accuse the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government of aiding efforts to recall Han.
The caucus cited Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp introducing discounted tickets for university students from Wednesday next week to June 9 and National Defense University announcing that it was delaying its entrance exam — originally scheduled for June 6 and 7 — due to the recall vote.
KMT caucus secretary-general Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) accused the Ministry of National Defense of placing politics over the rights of students.
DPP spokeswoman Yen Juo-fang (顏若芳) said it was regrettable that the KMT caucus held the news conference, as doing so was aimed at deterring Kaohsiung residents from exercising their rights.
In related news, Han has canceled a planned visit to Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島).
Han was invited by KMT Legislator Chen Yu-chen (陳玉珍) to join members of the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee for an “inspection tour” on Thursday next week.
Chen said that the visit was part of the committee’s mandate to oversee the operations of the Ocean Affairs Council and the Coast Guard Administration, and was unrelated to politics.
However, some lawmakers and pundits said that it was an effort to burnish Han’s image, as Chen and KMT officials want to boost his reputation as a patriot and defender of the nation’s territory in the South China Sea as the mayor fights for political survival.
Additional reporting by CNA
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS