Tens of thousands of piggy banks handed out nationwide as part of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) “three little pigs” fundraising campaign were yesterday delivered to DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national campaign headquarters in New Taipei City (新北市).
All the piggy banks, returned by supporters to campaign headquarters in cities and counties around the country, were transported to Tsai’s national headquarters in Banciao District (板橋), where campaign staff then arranged them in the shape of Taiwan.
Hundreds of people gathered at the national headquarters from early in the morning, as more than 100 vehicles from all over the country arrived to unload the piggy banks.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said on Saturday that on average a large 20 tonne truck could hold about 5,000 piggy banks, while smaller 5 tonne to 6 tonnes trucks could carry about 1,000 piggy banks.
Campaign spokesperson Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) said the piggy banks came from the northernmost point of the nation, in Keelung, and the southernmost in Hengchun (恆春), Pingtung County.
Some even came from as far as the outlying island of Penghu, Hsu said.
“As more than 70,000 piggy banks were returned on the ‘homecoming day’ rally on Dec. 10, and more than 40,000 piggy banks yesterday, the headquarters calculates it has received more than 110,000 piggy banks altogether,” Hsu said.
More than 100 staffers punched holes in the back of the piggy banks with specially designed equipment and then sorted the coins and bills.
A large number of coins were then laid over a huge representation of Taiwan within the headquarters building, signifying “fairness and justice spread throughout Taiwan, escorting Tsai Ing-wen to the Presidential Office.”
Hsu said the campaign has broken a world record by supporters donating the largest number of coins in an election campaign. The coins and bills will be deposited in the party’s political donations account next month, she said.
The party launched the campaign in the wake of a warning from the Control Yuan, which said the DPP’s acceptance of three piggy banks from a set of young triplets was a possible violation of the Political Donations Act (政治獻金法).
In response, the DPP started distributing piggy banks around the country.
As many as 300,000 banks were distributed.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College