The country's first-ever televised debate between presidential candidates will be held this afternoon between President Chen Shui-bian (
DPP Legislator Lo Wen-jia (
Lo said the DPP's campaign headquarters had not arranged rehearsals for Chen in advance of the debate and that the president would not alter his work schedule in order to prepare for the debate.
He said that Chen had gained a great deal of debate experience through participating in debates during the 1994 and 1998 Taipei City mayoral election campaigns.
"It is inevitable that the debates will involve aggression and defense, but that's not what concerns the president most," Lo said.
"He feels people have long been been tired of seeing the aggressive acts of politicians. That is why he will focus his debate on proposing a blueprint for the administration's future policies and demonstrating the government's executive abil-ity," Lo said.
He yesterday declined to give further details on the content of Chen's blueprint of future policies, saying that the information was part of the party's campaign strategic secrets.
Public Television Service chairman Wu Feng-shan (
Five people, who were chosen according to principles of professionalism and impartiality, will pose the debate questions to the two candidates.
The five are Huang Kun-yen (
In related news, the DPP's cam-paign manager, Su Tseng-chang (
Chen and Vice President Annette Lu (
Su said yesterday that Chen's getting the first position was a symbol of the party's campaign to put reforms first.
Wang said the No. 2 position of Lien and Soong signifies the pan-blue alliance's determination to stage a second transition of political power.
The debate is co-sponsored by the Taipei Society (
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
A BETRAYAL? It is none of the ministry’s business if those entertainers love China, but ‘you cannot agree to wipe out your own country,’ the MAC minister said Taiwanese entertainers in China would have their Taiwanese citizenship revoked if they are holding Chinese citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. Several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑) and Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜), earlier this month on their Weibo (微博) accounts shared a picture saying that Taiwan would be “returned” to China, with tags such as “Taiwan, Province of China” or “Adhere to the ‘one China’ principle.” The MAC would investigate whether those Taiwanese entertainers have Chinese IDs and added that it would revoke their Taiwanese citizenship if they did, Chiu told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper
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