The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday accused the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in using of insinuation and mudslinging tactics to sabotage the nation’s foreign relations.
The DPP’s remarks followed the KMT yesterday saying that the DPP’s vice presidential candidate Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) had secretly met with US non-governmental organization Spirit of America (SoA) to provoke a war in the Taiwan Strait.
KMT Taipei City Councilor Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) told a news conference that SoA is a right-wing organization and Hsiao on Aug. 9 last year had a “secret meeting” with SoA members in Washington, as she showed a photo of Hsiao with SoA founder Jim Hake and executives.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
“SoA has for many years worked with US armed forces and diplomats in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine and other conflict zones, where they provide support for local civil society groups through training programs, medical supplies, equipment for emergency communication and publicity campaigns,” Hsu said.
SoA provides “white-glove service” worldwide in promoting war, she said, adding that where SoA goes, a military conflict breaks out.
“There is no war in the Taiwan Strait. So why the DPP wants to bring SoA to Taiwan? Is it to develop their work [in Taiwan]?” Hsu said.
“During this [election] campaign, the DPP has been accusing the opposition parties of selling ‘fear of war.’ However, it is the DPP who welcomed 25 merchants of war selling weapons, and it is also the DPP who is linking up with an organization providing guidance for the US to conduct wars,” KMT Taipei City Councilor Yu Shu-hui (游淑慧) said.
Tai Wei-shan (戴瑋姍), spokeswoman of the campaign office of Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential candidate, said “the KMT bases its campaign on disseminating misinformation and baseless accusations.”
“They have adopted dirty mudslinging and smearing tactics to vilify DPP figures and influence the election, but they are also harming Taiwan-US relations,” Tai said.
REPORT: Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining loitering munitions matching the AeroVironment Switchblade 300 or the Anduril Altius-600, ‘Foreign Policy’ said Taiwan is seeking US-made kamikaze drones in an apparent concession to pressure from Washington to focus on asymmetric capabilities to defeat or deter a Chinese attack, Foreign Policy said in a report on Wednesday. Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining AeroVironment Switchblade loitering munitions or other devices with similar capabilities, it said, citing four sources familiar with the matter commenting on condition of anonymity. The Switchblade 300 is a tube-launched drone designed for attacking ground troops, while its larger sibling, the Switchblade 600, could be used to destroy tanks and entrenched troops. Ukraine has utilized both systems extensively in its fight against
Police officers yesterday morning apprehended the prime suspect of a triple homicide case, after raiding the suspect’s hideout in Taichung. They transported the suspect to New Taipei City for questioning and recorded his statement last night. The suspect, identified as a 24-year-old man surnamed Chang (張), is believed to have used his hands to strangle his wife, surnamed Chen (陳), 29, along with his three-year-old son from a previous marriage and his wife’s mother, 69. The three dead bodies were wrapped in blankets when they were discovered inside their apartment in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) on Saturday. Chang was holding a
Hungarian Member of Parliament Tompos Marton said he considers Taiwan to be a better alternative to China as a strategic partner. Marton, who is the vice president of the opposition Momentum Party, made the remarks in an interview with the Central News Agency on Sunday. He draped a Republic of China flag across his shoulders to protest Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) visit to the capital city, Budapest, on Thursday last week, and openly voiced support for Taiwan on social media. He said in the interview that he wanted to remind the world that there were alternatives to China, and that “Taiwan has
A female physician at New Taipei City’s Shuang Ho Hospital was bullied and made to work for 32 consecutive hours by a senior colleague while pregnant before later having a miscarriage, an internal investigation found, the hospital said on Monday. The perpetrator has been removed from his post, the hospital said. The attending physician in the hospital’s Medical Imaging Department, identified by the pseudonym Y, earlier on Monday told reporters that she had been bullied by a male senior colleague who arranged shifts in her department. In January, shortly after she became pregnant, Y asked the department director if she could avoid overnight