Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (
"If Mayor Ma will not give up his candidacy, I think I will commit suicide," retired general Ma Ho-ling (
His father's statements have put the mayor in an embarrassing position.
Ma Ho-ling said that his son "has no experience" in party operations, and that only Lien could unite the pan-blue camp.
In response, the mayor said that he respected his father's opinion, but planned to continue to campaign for the chairmanship.
Meanwhile, the mayor's rival, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"When did I say such things? I think this is an unfair question from the media, which seems to be partial to the other side," Wang said.
He said his report would focus on plans for leading and developing the party, as well as the policies on cross-strait relations and how candidates plan to handle the party's assets.
Both the mayor and Wang are scheduled to appear before the committee to outline their intentions for the party if they were to be elected chairman.
They will each give a 30-minute report on why they would be the best person to lead the party. After that, as many as 20 committee members will have three minutes each to ask questions, and the two candidates will each have 10 minutes to answer all the questions.
One committee member, KMT Legislator Ho Tsai-feng (
Ho said that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has tried hard to target the KMT's efforts to deal with its assets, and she asked that the candidates give a clear explanation of what they would do regarding this situation.
Lien has repeatedly said that he has no interest in seeking re-election in the July 16 poll.
But recently he said he would rethink the matter.
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
The Civil Aviation Administration yesterday said that it is considering punishments for China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines for making hard landings and overworking their cabin crew when the nation was hit by Typhoon Kong-rey in October last year. The civil aviation authority launched an investigation after media reported that many airlines were forced to divert their flights to different airports or go around after failing to land when the typhoon affected the nation on Oct. 30 and 31 last year. The agency reviewed 503 flights dispatched by Taiwanese airlines during those two days, as well as weather data, flight hours
Three people have had their citizenship revoked after authorities confirmed that they hold Chinese ID cards, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said yesterday. Two of the three people were featured in a recent video about Beijing’s “united front” tactics by YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯) and Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源), including Su Shi-en (蘇士恩), who displayed a Chinese ID card in the video, and taekwondo athlete Lee Tung-hsien (李東憲), who mentioned he had obtained a Chinese ID card in a telephone call with Chen, Liang told the council’s weekly news conference. Lee, who reportedly worked in
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding