DPP optimistic about Taichung election chances

CHANGHUA DEAL?The party visited the father of an independent hopeful in the county to discuss a partnership, but said it still thinks its candidate can win
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it was cautiously optimistic about the Greater Taichung mayoral election in November, with the party’s candidate, DPP Legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), leading incumbent Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) by almost 20 percentage points in the party’s latest survey.

“In a poll conducted by the DPP three days ago, Lin enjoyed a comfortable lead of 48 percent to Hu’s 29 percent. Moreover, 45.3 percent of respondents favored Lin as the winner, with only 29.6 percent picking Hu, who is seeking re-election,” DPP spokesperson Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) said.

DPP’s Lin leading Hu in Taichung race: poll

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has a comfortable lead over Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in the race for the municipality’s mayorship, a public opinion poll released yesterday showed.

The survey was conducted by the Chinese-language Apple Daily and found that Lin had a support rate of 51.4 percent, while Hu, who is seeking re-election in November, had 33.9 percent and 14.7 percent of the respondents were undecided.

Former official complains over wiretaps

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A former government official in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration yesterday said the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Division (SID) had improperly monitored his mobile phone from 2005 to 2010.

Former Hsinchu County commissioner and Taiwan Provincial governor Lin Kwang-hua (林光華) told a press conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei that the SID had wiretapped his mobile phone for five years, but did not notify him until last month, which was a violation of the law.

Academics criticize Hsinchu City over probe of foreign academic’s work permit

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Academics yesterday warned that the Hsinchu City Government’s investigation into Austrian lecturer Max Gufler’s work permit after he criticized the city government was reminiscent of the White Terror era.

In an open letter released on May 10, Gufler, a lecturer at National Hsinchu University of Education and an environmentalist, urged the city government not to sponsor three firework shows in October as part of Double Ten National Day celebrations because the shows would cause air pollution and waste public funds.

Lee Teng-hui says nuclear power plants still needed

HSINCHU OUTING:The former president said that nuclear energy was not all bad, but he would not vote in the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant referendum
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter, in Hsinchu City

Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday said Taiwan could not afford to abandon nuclear power in the near future and should enhance its nuclear energy program by developing advanced technologies, such as nuclear fusion.

“Taiwanese scientists should work on nuclear fusion research and engineering to explore new methods to replace current technologies, which are based on nuclear fission, and are a by-product of the Manhattan Project developed during World War II,” Lee said on the second day of a two-day visit to Hsinchu County.

KMT lawmaker furious over office raid

‘CONTEMPT’:Lu Hsueh-chang accused prosecutors of overstepping their power when they raided his office in the legislature and detained his aide, Hsu Ju-sung
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

New Taipei City (新北市) prosecutors yesterday raided the office of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, as part of an investigation into allegations of corruption involving Lu’s aide, Hsu Ju-sung (徐如松).

New Taipei District Prosecutors Office agents raided 50 locations in the morning and detained 30 people — including Hsu, five Hsinchu County councilors and several Hsinchu County school principals — who are suspected of accepting more than NT$10 million (US$345,000) in kickbacks from school procurement deals.

DPP moves ahead with Jan. 13 protest plans

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it has begun mobilizing for a planned protest against President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration on Jan. 13, even as it reiterated its demand for a Cabinet reshuffle, the Next Media deal to be rejected and a national affairs conference to be held.

“We have made the appeals so many times that our tongues are tired, but the president will not listen. That is why we are organizing this protest for the people to have their voices heard and to express their fury at the government’s poor performance,” DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said.

Cities, counties urge fair budgets

SPECIAL:Commissioner Helen Chang said the special municipalities would be given 5.07 times more debt capacity than other cities if a Public Debt Act amendment passed
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Commissioners and mayors of seven cities and counties yesterday signed a joint letter demanding that the central government adjust its loan capacity structure and debt ceiling limits so that local governments can avoid potential bankruptcy, amid a proposed amendment to the Public Debt Act (公共債務法).

Led by Chiayi County Commissioner Helen Chang (張花冠), the seven cities and counties urged the central government to increase the debt limit for 16 cities and counties, excluding the five special municipalities, from 1.43 percent of the average GDP of the previous three years, to 2.63 percent.

Military sorry over tank death

SAFETY ISSUE:A DPP lawmaker said that three accidents involving M60A3 tanks — in 2003, 2005 and in June — were all related to brake system failure

By Rich Chang and Chris Wang  /  Staff reporters

The military yesterday apologized for an accident on Monday evening in which one marine was killed and four injured when they were run over by a tank, saying the tank driver might not have seen the soldiers on the roadside because of low visibility.

The accident occurred at the 66th Marine Brigade base in Hukou Township (湖口), Hsinchu County.

Aboriginal activist claims threats over his activism

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Aboriginal activist Lin Shih-wei (林世偉) yesterday said he had been threatened by property developers because of his advocacy of land preservation in Hsinchu County’s Jianshih Township (尖石).

Lin told a press conference that he received warning notes reading “Mind your own business, Lin” at his Jianshih home on Tuesday and was threatened by unknown men on an MRT train in Taipei on Wednesday.

Family of Falun Gong practitioner seek official help

WITS END:The family held a second press conference to plead for the help of the government in seeking the release of Chung Ting-pang, who is being held in China
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The family of Chung Ting-pang (鍾鼎邦) pleaded with the government for the second time in 10 days to do something about his detention in China.

Chung, a 53-year-old Falun Gong practitioner, was arrested in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, on June 18 as he was about to return to Taiwan and accused of “sabotaging national and public security.”

“We do not want to wait for another minute or another second because his life is at stake,” Chung Ai (鍾愛), Chung Ting-pang’s daughter, told a press conference in Taipei organized by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩).

2012 ELECTIONS: Tsai makes final push in Hakka areas

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) campaigned yesterday in Miaoli and Hsinchu counties, hoping to make a last push in the Hakka-populated area before Saturday’s presidential election.

The DPP chairperson appealed for the support of Hakkas and hoped to win at least 45 percent of the votes in Miaoli County, a feat the DPP has never accomplished.

In an election that could be decided by as few as tens of thousands of votes, every vote counts for Tsai, particularly in the Hakka constituencies, which have traditionally been dominated by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).

2012 ELECTIONS: Tsai promises to work with Hakka and Aborigines

PRIDE OF TAIWAN:The DPP presidential candidate said that she would seek to turn Hakka areas into cultural tourist spots to benefit the local economy
By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that if she were elected next month, her administration would work with Hakka and Aborigine communities to regain the glory of minority groups in Taiwan.

The rich Hakka and Aborigine cultures would no longer be ignored because in the age of “glocalization,” they enrich Taiwan’s characteristics and become Taiwanese assets, both of which would boost the local economy and restore “ethnic” pride, she told supporters at separate settings on her campaign trail.

2012 ELECTIONS: Tsai calls for a renewed focus on LED industry

GLOWING REVIEW:Tsai said that as the LED sector looks to develop, it could learn from the bicycle industry, which has done much to improve its global competitiveness
By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

The LED industry should be one of the nation’s strategic industries and the government should play a lead role in helping the industry with integration and marketing, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday in Miaoli.

If elected next month, her administration would actively engage in assisting the industry with its vertical integration and the elimination of trade barriers to improve its global competitiveness, Tsai said on the first of her five-day visit to local industrial centers.

2012 ELECTIONS: DPP eyeing big victory in south

POLL GOALS:：The DPP expects to lose in the Nantou County, the birthplace of Premier Wu Den-yih, but the margin could be smaller than most people think
By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter, in Chiayi County
Fri, Dec 09, 2011 - Page 3

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will have to secure 700,000 votes more than the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in the south to win the presidential election next month, a senior aide in the DPP’s campaign team said.

The forecast reflected the nation’s basic electoral map, in which the DPP is dominant in the south and the KMT controls the north and east. Central Taiwan is a toss-up, said the aide, who wished to remain anonymous.

If DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) fails to win by more than 700,000 votes in the counties south of Yunlin — Yunlin, Chiayi and Pingtung counties, Greater Tainan and Greater Kaohsiung — “we are toast,” the aide said.

2012 ELECTIONS: Tsai wraps up visit to Hakka constituencies

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday wrapped up a four-day visit to Hakka constituencies, saying that she would designate it a national-level cultural preservation area if she is elected president in January.

Tsai, who is of Hakka descent, said she had learned a lot by meeting people who have been able to create a new way of life through a combination of tradition and innovation.

“The Hakka people glorify the adventurism of Taiwanese with their determination to safeguard their homeland, overcome any hardship and embrace the unknowns in the same way their predecessors have always done in the past,” she told thousands of supporters at her final stop in Sinwu Township (新屋), Taoyuan County.

2012 ELECTIONS: Tsai Ing-wen calls for ‘Rural Renaissance’ in Taiwan

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter, in Hsinchu County

A new “Rural Renaissance” movement, which symbolizes the awaking of Taiwanese to a new life philosophy, has been taking shape and the government should take a leading role in making the renaissance happen, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.

More people have decided to move away from the cities, either returning to their rural hometown or choosing to live in the countryside, the DPP’s presidential candidate said at campaign stop in the remote township of Nanjhuang (南庄), Miaoli County.

“These people work in all professions — farmers, artists, computer programmers, coffee shop owners, writers — and bring different dimensions that will be able to change the dynamics of development in Taiwan’s rural areas, which is why I called it a ‘Rural Renaissance,’” she said.

DPP is confident of Hakka vote

CRUCIAL CONSTITUENCY:Party officials say that they believe Tsai Ing-wen’s Hakka ancestry may help her win the vote in the vital Hsinchu, Miaoli and Taoyuan districts
By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter, in Taoyuan County

As Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) presidential election campaign trip took her to areas with heavy Hakka populations in northern Taiwan yesterday, the party said it feels that it has never had as good an opportunity as this year to make strides in securing Hakka votes in the election.

One of the main reasons for that confidence is that, unlike previous standard-bearers, Tsai is of Hakka descent.

Tsai said yesterday in Hsinchu, one of the three main Hakka constituencies in northern Taiwan, along with Miaoli and Taoyuan, that her party planned to promote the Hakka language and eventually designate it as one of the national languages if she were elected president in January.

Taiwan visit has no political overtones: ex-Philippine president

Hsinchu, March 3 (CNA) Former Philippines President Fidel Ramos said Thursday upon arrival in Taiwan that his visit was not about resolving the diplomatic row between Taipei and Manila and was in no way political.

Ramos, who is leading a 35-member delegation, is scheduled to attend a golf tournament, visit the Hsinchu Science Park, and meet with the Hsinchu and Changhua county magistrates.

Responding to reporters' questions in Hsinchu, the 82-year-old Ramos said the recent consensus reached between Taiwan and the Philippines was "more than enough" to resolve the row over the latter's deportation of 14 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China on Feb. 2.

"We have no political mission," Ramos said.

Ramos did not say whether he was scheduled to meet with President Ma Ying-jeou, Vice President Vincent Siew or Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang, but the CNA has learned that a meeting with Siew is on the agenda.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei maintained Thursday that Ramos' visit was a private one focused on sports and business.

In Hsinchu, Ramos highlighted the idea of "Asian prosperity, " saying that Asian neighbors should work together to achieve prosperity.

He said he was impressed with the contribution of the 90,000 Filipino workers in Taiwan.

"Taiwan needs their services" because they are skilled, English-speaking Christians and "a good bunch of workers to work with," he said.

His comments were made against the backdrop of Taiwan's tighter screening of Filipino applicants seeking to work in Taiwan and calls in the legislature and elsewhere for Taiwan to freeze the importation of Philippine labor in response to the deportation row.

Taiwan has since softened its stance on the issue and is no longer pressing for a formal apology from Manila, while the Philippines has promised to hold accountable any officials found to have mishandled the matter.

Ramos said Wednesday in a press release issued in the Philippines by his private foundation that Manila's refusal to apologize had "endangered the economic synergy that exists between the two countries."

"The 'One-China' policy should not have been invoked by the Aquino Administration as the basis for that controversial deportation," he also said in the press release. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

MAC advises Chinese philanthropist on controversial trip

Taipei, Jan. 27 (CNA) Taiwan's top China policy-making agency advised a Chinese billionaire to act in a moral manner after the tycoon embarked upon a high-profile and controversial philanthropic trip Thursday during which he plans to donate up to NT$500 million (US$17.22 million) to Taiwan's needy.

Chinese philanthropist Chen Guangbiao gave away NT$6.7 million-worth of "red envelopes" that day in the northern county of Hsinchu, the first stop of his philanthropic trip, to local disadvantaged families, in cooperation with the county government.

The 43-year-old is known for carrying out highly publicized philanthropic trips around China, using the schtick of a piled-up "wall of banknotes" that he then hands out. He has been quoted as saying that he likes to make donations in a high-profile manner because he hopes his actions will be recognized by the public and will inspire people to carry out acts of philanthropy of their own.

"The way Chen conducts his philanthropy has caused challenges for both the government and the underprivileged, " Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Liu Te-hsun said in a press briefing.

Chen has not violated any laws, though, so there is no way for the government to interfere in the matter, he said, adding that the underprivileged will have to decide for themselves whether or not accepting his cash will cause them to lose their dignity.

"We will certainly condemn Chen's behavior if his trip is found to come with any political motive, " Liu said.

Liu's comment came after Chen was stopped by several poor people begging for cash during his trip to Hsinchu.

Such behavior of the local poor, as well as the extensive media coverage and involvement of local governments in Chen's stunt, have all made the trip controversial. Some Taiwanese county governments and opposition party officials have voiced opposition to his donation plans in Taiwan, raising concern that his high-profile donation manner might hurt the recipients' feelings or dignity.

Meanwhile, Chen's cancellation of his business itinerary that morning also raised doubts, because he was granted entry to Taiwan as a business professional and was supposed to participate in business activities during his stay under the regulations governing cross-strait travel.

Chen is scheduled to visit the central county of Nantou and the eastern county of Hualien during the remainder of his trip. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J