Amid good-luck wishes yesterday from people in Fenggang Village (楓港) in Pingtung County’s Fangshan Township (枋山), her parents’ home town, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) paraded through Pingtung and Kaohsiung, greeted by supporters along the way, launching her final-week nationwide campaign tour before the presidential election on Saturday.
“Four years ago, I started my presidential campaign trip along Provincial Highway No. 1 from Fenggang. Four years later, I have returned to my hometown, Pingtung. From here I will start my week-long campaign trip,” Tsai told more than 100 people in the small coastal village with a population of a little over 1,000 who gathered in front of the local Delong Temple (德隆宮). “I could feel the desire of the people in Pingtung to elect a president from here.”
“Please give me the best election outcome,” Tsai said, urging her supporters to also support the DPP’s district and legislator-at-large candidates.
Photo: AFP / Sam Yeh
Among the supporters, Tsai’s uncle, aunt and cousin were also in attendance. Her uncle and aunt brought Tsai a gift of zongzi (粽子, rice dumplings), which symbolize victory in Taiwanese culture.
Prior to Tsai’s arrival, the temple leaders walked around the facility to make sure that everything was well prepared “to welcome our President Tsai.”
Before speaking to the crowd, Tsai went into the temple to make offerings to the deities.
Photo: EPA / Ritchie B. Tongo
The temple master gave Tsai a flag with the temple’s and the deity’s name on it to express their goodwill, while two Paiwan leaders presented traditional headwear and a vest with a totem to recognize her as a “daughter of the Paiwan people,” as her grandmother was a Paiwan Aborigine.
Following a rally to launch the nationwide tour, Tsai, accompanied by DPP legislative candidate Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) and Pingtung County Commissioner Pan Meng-an (潘孟安), paraded through Linluo Township (麟洛) and neighboring Pingtung City.
“Dear friends and fellow Pingtung residents, Tsai Ing-wen is here in person, greeting all of you,” a campaigner said through loudspeaker.
“Please vote for Tsai to make Pingtung the home county of the president,” the campaigner said.
The announcements were made in Hakka while the parade was in Linluo, as it is a predominantly Hakka township, and switched to Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) as the parade crossed into Pingtung City, which is a predominantly Hoklo-speaking area.
Supporters gathered in groups along the parade route, waving flags, giving the thumbs-up gesture and screaming as the jeep carrying Tsai, Chung and Pan passed by.
“Mom, Tsai is coming. Look, I see her,” shouted a girl who stood outside a restaurant with her family waiting for the parade to pass, pointing to the direction that Tsai was coming from.
After the parade in Pingtung, Tsai accompanied the DPP’s Kaohsiung legislative candidates in a parade through the city and finished the day with an evening rally in Kaohsiung, which event organizers said had a turnout of 100,000 people.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,