The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) announced yesterday that it would not nominate candidates in three counties in the year-end elections, but would nominate Legislator Lu Po-chi (盧博基) as its candidate for the Hualien County commissioner race.
DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) made the announcement after the party's Central Standing Committee meeting.
According to DPP Secretary-General Lee Yi-yang (
When asked about whether a series of Cabinet blunders would affect voters' support for the party the December elections, Su said he believed voters would understand the problems. He said the DPP would promote the Executive Yuan's accomplishments, such as the new labor pension system.
"Although the Chinese Nationalist Party's [KMT] momentum and support seemed to surge after Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) became KMT chairman, most of that additional support is coming from backers of the People First Party," Su said.
"The turfs of the pan-green and pan-blue camps have not changed," he said.
"I think the most urgent thing for the DPP to do to win the year-end elections is to invoke voters' passion and faith in the ruling party and convince them that the DPP is still their best choice," he said.
Meanwhile, the dispute between the DPP and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) over the nominations for the year-end elections appears to be heating up in the face of the DPP's refusal to concede to its smaller ally.
Liu Yi-teh (劉一德), director of the TSU's organization department, yesterday threatened that if Wang Tuoh (王拓), the DPP's nominee for Keelung mayor, does not withdraw from the race, he will enter the Chiayi mayoral race to stand against the incumbent, Chen Li-chen (陳麗貞), a DPP member.
"I would participate to punish the DPP for its selfishness," he said. "Both the KMT and the DPP have problems in Chiayi City. I'm confident I would be successful."
Even if he doesn't win, he could help defeat Chen and the TSU would still benefit because the KMT's nominee, Legislator Huang Min-hui (
Police have issued warnings against traveling to Cambodia or Thailand when others have paid for the travel fare in light of increasing cases of teenagers, middle-aged and elderly people being tricked into traveling to these countries and then being held for ransom. Recounting their ordeal, one victim on Monday said she was asked by a friend to visit Thailand and help set up a bank account there, for which they would be paid NT$70,000 to NT$100,000 (US$2,136 to US$3,051). The victim said she had not found it strange that her friend was not coming along on the trip, adding that when she
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