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 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that a surge in respiratory illnesses in China has been caused by at least seven types of pathogens, and small children, elderly people and immunocompromised people should temporarily avoid unnecessary visits to China. The recent outbreak of respiratory illnesses in China is mainly in the north and among children, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said on Monday. Data released by the Chinese National Health Commission on Sunday showed that among children aged one to four, the main pathogens were influenza viruses and rhinoviruses, while among children aged five to 14, the main pathogens
A New Taipei City hotpot restaurant could be fined after a rat dropped from the ceiling and landed on a customer’s plate last week, the New Taipei City Department of Health said yesterday after conducting an inspection. A woman recently posted on the “I am a Banciao resident” (我是板橋人) social media group saying that she had been eating with a friend at Chien Tu Shabu Shabu Hotpot Restaurant’s Shuangshi B branch in Banciao District (板橋). “While still eating, a big rat suddenly dropped down from the ceiling, landing on a plate next to a hotpot,” she said. “Later on, a member of
A new poll of Taiwanese voters found the top opposition candidate for president jumping past the ruling party’s hopeful into the lead position ahead of January’s election — the latest twist in a drama-filled race. Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) had an approval rating of 31.9 percent versus 29.2 percent for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the poll released yesterday by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation showed. The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), ranked third with 23.6 percent, according to the survey conducted
INCENTIVES: The province’s ‘21 measures’ include enhanced agricultural loans for Taiwanese farmers, and rent waivers and housing subsidies for Taiwanese start-ups China’s Fujian Province on Monday began implementing 15 economic measures targeting Taiwanese in its latest bid to fan pro-Beijing sentiment ahead of the Jan. 13 elections. Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency said the policies were part of “21 measures” unveiled in September by China for Fujian’s “integrated cross-strait development demonstration zone.” The partially implemented measures, which were created with input from Beijing, include reducing the wait time for Taiwanese applying for a visa from 20 days to five days and free public transit for Taiwanese older than 65, it said. Residents of Taiwan were granted use of the “all provincial Taiwanese entrepreneur compatriot