Pan-blue supporters at a rally yesterday said that former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) is the best candidate if the KMT wants to win next year’s presidential election, and demanded that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) hold a fair and open primary.
A small crowd gathered in front of the KMT headquarters in Taipei yesterday morning, led by Liao Sheng-fang (廖盛芳), chairman of the Tainan Han Supporters’ Association.
Liao and the group criticized KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) for not holding a party primary, saying it was “unfair” to nominate the party’s presidential candidate by special committee and accusing Chu and party top officials of “autocratic rule.”
Photo: CNA
They waved flags and set up placards which read: “Han Kuo-yu for president,” “Say no to war, we want Peace” and “KMT must conduct a primary.”
KMT officials are expected to chose either New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) or Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘).
“For the presidential race, we need a strong leader, a man who can fight battles — a fighter jet of a warrior to lead the KMT to victory,” Liao said.
“We met with Han last month, and he praised his many ‘die-hard’ fans for not quitting... We asked Han to run again for president, and he did not say no, but his silence meant he was giving his tacit approval,” Liao said.
“This shows Han is a real gentleman, he does not want to fight to gain the presidential candidacy... But by not conducting a primary, the KMT has denied him a chance,” he said.
Liao urged the KMT to set up a primary process, with 60 percent of votes coming from public polls and 40 percent from voting by party members.
KMT spokesman Alfred Lin (林家興) said that all party members have agreed to unite and support the party’s nominated presidential candidate.
“Our party will take into consideration the results of public polls, and opinions expressed by party members — all of these will be considered as references for the nomination,” Lin said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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