President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday urged voters to “stand up for Taiwan” by supporting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidates in Saturday’s elections.
With Taiwan under the international spotlight, the DPP needs wins to defend freedom and democracy, and give her a mandate to safeguard Taiwan, she told a news conference at the party’s headquarters in Taipei.
Vote for DPP candidates “so that I can take charge for Taiwan to stand firm on the world stage, and maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” she said. “The whole world is watching Taiwan, because it is not just about the local elections. It [the election outcomes] will decide what kind of message we send to the world,” she said.
“So I call on people to vote for DPP candidates for city mayors and county commissioners, on Saturday, to stand up for Taiwan,” she said.
DPP Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) joined Tsai for the “golden 72-hour countdown to election day” news conference ahead of the party’s Central Executive Committee meeting to finalize details of major campaign rallies before Saturday.
Lin said that opposition parties were allegedly buying votes, spreading disinformation and launching personal attacks on the DPP’s candidates, which amounted to “sowing division and hatred in society.”
“We must fight back. Report to the authorities instances of vote-buying, and refute rumors and misinformation being circulated on social media,” he said.
He said that a rumor being spread on the Line messaging app says that the DPP had legalized the possession of up to 5g of narcotics and that pensions would be cut off for people aged 80 and older.
Tsai said it was heartwarming to see crowds of parents with children and young people supporting DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) at a rally and parade in Taipei on Saturday.
“We can see that everyone has great expectations to improve Taipei,” she said. “It is not just Taipei residents, but everyone who wants to see progress in cities and counties across Taiwan.”
“Only DPP candidates are presenting long-term visions and policies to improve the lives of Taiwanese,” she said. “Our party firmly believes in unity, and not division in the society ... for people to come together and strive forward as a nation.”
She also talked about plans from DPP mayoral candidates Chen, Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) for New Taipei City and Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) for Keelung to integrate the cities’ transportation networks to enable economic growth and freedom of movement.
She said that with many technology firms, including much of the semiconductor industry, based in Taoyuan, and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties, DPP candidates were needed to protect the “mountain peaks of the silicone shield,” urging support for Taoyuan mayoral candidate Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬), Hsinchu mayoral candidate Shen Hui-hung (沈慧虹), Hsinchu County commissioner candidate Chou Chiang-chieh (周江杰) and Miaoli County commissioner candidate Hsu Ting-chen (徐定禎).
The elections are also an opportunity to end “black gold” dynasties, she said, referring to the involvement of criminals and ill-gotten wealth in local politics. She called on voters to support DPP Taichung mayoral candidate Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), Changhua County commissioner candidate Huang Shiou-fang (黃秀芳) and Nantou County commissioner candidate Tsai Pei-hui (蔡培慧).
“East Taiwan also needs more national attention, with regional family dynasties with close links to local politics in Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties in stagnation,” the president said.
“This is the time to change the east for the better,” she said, calling for support for DPP county commissioner candidates Kolas Yotaka for Hualien County, Chiang Tsung-yuan (江聰淵) for Yilan County and Liu Chao-hao (劉櫂豪) for Taitung County.
She also urged people to vote for DPP county commissioner candidates Cheng Kuang-fu (陳光復) for Penghu County and Lii Wen (李問) for Lienchiang County, “as they are at the front line in defense of Taiwan, so we need them to safeguard our nation’s freedom and democracy.”
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
RSS