Two county commissioner candidates affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in Miaoli County have each demanded that the other withdraw from the race, after a decades-old murder conviction came to light, and a poll indicated that the two are creating an opening for their Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rival.
Candidate Hsieh Fu-hung (謝福弘) told a news conference on Thursday that Chung Tung-chin (鍾東錦) should withdraw from the race after trying to conceal a conviction for killing a man more than 30 years ago.
Hsieh said that he is the party’s legitimate candidate given that he was officially nominated by the KMT, adding that his work as chairman of the Miaoli County Farmers Irrigation Association and head of the county’s KMT chapter bolsters his credentials.
Photo courtesy of Chung Tung-chin’s campaign
Chung was elected as a Miaoli councilor in 2014, then assumed the council speaker’s office in 2018. After losing a bid for the party’s nomination this year, Chung registered independently in June.
Chung is backed by incumbent KMT Miaoli County Commissioner Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌), who made several appearances at campaign events to rally support.
Meanwhile, Hsieh is backed by two former KMT county commissioners, Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻) and Fu Hsueh-peng (傅學鵬).
The split has benefited DPP candidate Hsu Ting-chen (徐定禎), with a poll showing all three in a close contest at just under 20 percent support. New Power Party (NPP) candidate Sung Kuo-ting (宋國鼎) trailed in a distant fourth spot.
The KMT Miaoli County chapter had earlier this week recommended expelling both Chung and Hsu for contravening party rules, although a final decision by the party’s Central Standing Committee is to be made next week.
The clash was heightened on Thursday when Hsieh presented documents provided by NPP members and other politicians showing that Chung was convicted of killing a man surnamed Hu (胡) in 1987.
By Hsieh’s account, Chung said he had only intended to injure Hu with a watermelon knife during a fight, and the killing was an accident.
“Chung has dismissed the conviction” by claiming it was an accident, “saying that he was a young man at 25 years of age,” Hsieh said.
“Chung vowed to resign as council speaker and quit the county commissioner race if someone could present evidence that he had killed a man,” Hsieh said.
“Now we have NPP members and other politicians providing archived news reports and court documents on this homicide case, in which he was sentenced to three years and eight months,” Hsieh said.
Chung’s campaign office said in a statement that former county commissioners Liu and Fu had spent public money wastefully and that they are backing Hsieh after colluding with other parties.
Sung and other NPP members on Monday presented news reports and court documents from 1987, which showed that Chung, at the time named Chung Chao-ping (鍾朝平), was at a restaurant in Taipei with six friends when he became involved in a dispute with Hu, who was sitting at an adjacent table.
Sung said that an investigation showed that Chung and his friends punched and kicked Hu, while Chung and others sliced Hu with a watermelon knife, resulting in severe injuries.
Hu later died at a local hospital, Sung said.
The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China
Garbage and recycling schedules are to vary from Saturday through Sunday next week over the Lunar New Year holiday period. The following collection information is from the governments of the six special municipalities. Taipei Regular service: Sunday to Monday next week. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Extra service: Friday next week. Regular service resumes: Saturday next week. New Taipei City Extra service: Sunday. Adjusted collection time: Monday next week — garbage collection is to begin in the morning and end at 6pm. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Regular service resumes: Friday next week. Note: Garbage can be dropped off at 70
A KFC branch in Kaohsiung may be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,907 and US$6.37 million), after a customer yesterday found an entire AAA battery inside an egg tart, the Kaohsiung Department of Health said today. The customer was about to microwave a box of egg tarts they had bought at the fast-food restaurant’s Nanzih (楠梓) branch when they checked the bottom and saw a dark shadow inside one of them, they said in a Threads post. The customer filmed themself taking the egg tart apart to reveal an entire AAA battery inside, which apparently showed signs of damage. Surveillance footage showed
GROUP EFFORT: The number of inbound travelers rose 11 to 12 percent last month, with a significant increase in tourists from Europe and North America, an official said The government aims to attract 9.4 million visitors this year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday, citing last year’s success in diversifying tourist markets. Taiwan last year drew about 8.57 million international arrivals, 72.3 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels. By contrast, the nation had about 18.94 million outbound tourists last year, surpassing the pre-COVID-19 level of 17.1 million. The estimated tourism revenue deficit was about NT$700.9 billion (US$22.22 billion). Taoyuan International Airport Corp expects more than 160,000 passengers to pass through the nation’s largest airport daily during the Lunar New Year holiday, which begins on Saturday. As of Jan. 30, the nation’s average hotel occupancy rate
RSS