After an extraordinary committee meeting, the KMT's election commission in Taichung yesterday decided to accept KMT Deputy Secretary-General Jason Hu's (胡志強) application to run for Taichung City mayor, putting an end to a dispute over his candidacy.
On Thursday Hu had faced the possibility of being disqualified as a candidate in Taichung because Chuang Lung-chang (
The dual registration nearly caused Hu's candidacy in Tai-chung to be declared invalid, even though he had stated his intention to withdraw his application in Taipei County.
On learning that he had been accepted as a candidate in Tai-chung, Hu said he was pleased.
"I am sorry for causing such unnecessary trouble. I thank the residents of both Taichung City and Taipei County for their warmest support. I will do my best here in Taichung," Hu said in Taichung.
He said that he had been determined to run for the mayor's job from the very beginning and that he hoped the dispute would not tarnish his image.
KMT Chairman Lien Chan
Lin Jih-jia (
A local media organization reported yesterday that Hu had met privately with Lien yesterday morning to seek his approval and understanding.
Refusing to confirm such a meeting took place, KMT spokeswoman Chen Feng-shin (
Hu's inconsistency, however, is expected to have a negative impact on his campaign in Taichung.
"Whatever the impact will be, Hu has to shoulder the responsibility himself," said party secretary-general Lin Feng-cheng (
Media reports yesterday speculated that the KMT and People First Party (PFP) had reached a deal to cooperate with each other by supporting a PFP candidate in Taichung. Hu's insistence on running in Taichung had, the speculation suggested, ruined the deal and led to his dual registration.
Chao Shou-po (
"In terms of bipartisan cooperation, the KMT has not reached out to the PFP for any type of contacts," Chao said.
After Hu's candidacy is finalized, he will compete in a primary with other candidates in Taichung City including legislators Huang Hsien-chou (黃顯洲), Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) and speaker of the Taichung City Council Chang-Lao Kuei-chuan (張廖貴專).
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
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