Advocates on both sides of the recall campaign yesterday canvassed the streets in a final push before tomorrow’s vote.
Seven Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers are facing recall votes tomorrow in their constituencies in New Taipei City, Taichung, and Hsinchu and Nantou counties.
A referendum is also to be held on whether to restart the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County.
Photo: CNA
Local activists looking to oust KMT Legislator Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才) from New Taipei City carried out motorcade runs throughout the day, as volunteers from other districts joined them to organize events in past weeks, a recall group spokeswoman named Chi Chi (琪琪) said.
Apart from Lo, other KMT members targeted in the recall vote are Lin Szu-ming (林思銘) of Hsinchu County; Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒), Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) and Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) of Taichung; and Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) and Yu Hao (游顥) of Nantou County.
Chi Chi said it is gratifying to have many people from other districts come to help out, after their hard work in the first round of recalls on July 26 ended in failure.
“But we did not quit, and reinvigorated our endeavors to pool resources together to campaign with stronger determination,” she said.
The street canvassing took much planning to make it through New Taipei City’s 11th constituency, which includes urban Sindian District (新店), as well as the rural districts of Shenkeng (深坑), Pinglin (坪林), Shiding (石碇) and Wulai (烏來), she said.
Volunteers held signs and spoke to people at traditional markets and outside MRT stations, along with motorcades, street marches and other events for these final few days, Chi Chi said.
Her groups assisted other recall activists around the country, she said, adding that efforts were under way for final rallies tonight in their respective constituencies.
Meanwhile, Lin, who is facing a recall in Hsinchu County, was accused of handing out gifts to residents in exchange for votes at a recent meeting.
Hsinchu County Councilor Ouyang Ting (歐陽霆) at a news conference yesterday showed photographs of people leaving a meeting organized by Lin in which men were seen carrying two wrapped loaves of sliced bread and three large packets of tissue paper.
Ouyang and other councilors alleged the gifts are a form of vote-buying, which Lin rejected.
In Nantou County, KMT Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) led a motorcade through Jhushan (竹山) and Puli (埔里) townships in support of Ma and Yu.
“We must stop these mass recalls against our party. They targeted 24 KMT lawmakers last month, and now they are trying to recall seven more. If they succeed, then the legislature will have only one party dominating,” Han said.
Former DPP legislator Tsai Pei-hui (蔡培慧), a Nantou County resident, called on local people to cast a “yes” vote.
“For many years, we have seen few changes and no progress in our county. Even many people say it is in decline,” Tsai said. “Nantou County people are mainly engaged in farming, and rely on tourism and hospitality, but we see Ma and Yu have done nothing for Nantou residents.”
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.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
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
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
RSS