Independent Legislator Chiu Yi (
With Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
When asked whether he would enter the Kaohsiung mayoral poll, Chiu said that it is one of the many options available to him in the future, but emphasized that the party has many other talented people and that he has to take care of his three children as a single father.
Meanwhile, Chiu yesterday cried foul over a subpoena issued by the Kaohsiung District Court asking him to appear in court on Friday.
Chiu is charged with violating the Assembly and Parade Law (
The court issued the subpoena on Monday after Chiu failed to show up at last Friday's hearing. Chiu has reportedly been absent from several court hearings related to the case.
Chiu said yesterday that while the court claimed he has appeared at only 10 of the hearings, he has actually attended court more than 20 times.
"I remember one time I received eight summons in one day and I answered all of them," he said. "I go to 70 percent of the court hearings, and when I can't make it, I ask my lawyers to go on my behalf."
Chiu also questioned whether it is appropriate for the plaintiff, the Kaohsiung District Court, to handle the case.
Claiming that the trial is illegal, Chiu said that he is planning to file for compensation for the losses he has incurred over the past few months.
Other KMT lawmakers also jumped to Chiu's defense.
KMT caucus whip Pan Wei-kang (潘維剛) said that she suspects that there is political interference in the matter and called on the administration to keep its nose out of the judicial system.
KMT legislators Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教) echoed Pan's opinion and declared that "justice is dead."
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau’s (劉德華) concert in Taipei tonight has been cancelled due to Typhoon Kong-rei and is to be held at noon on Saturday instead, the concert organizer SuperDome said in a statement this afternoon. Tonight’s concert at Taipei Arena was to be the first of four consecutive nightly performances by Lau in Taipei, but it was called off at the request of Taipei Metro, the operator of the venue, due to the weather, said the organizer. Taipei Metro said the concert was cancelled out of consideration for the audience’s safety. The decision disappointed a number of Lau’s fans who had
Commuters in Taipei picked their way through debris and navigated disrupted transit schedules this morning on their way to work and school, as the city was still working to clear the streets in the aftermath of Typhoon Kong-rey. By 11pm yesterday, there were estimated 2,000 trees down in the city, as well as 390 reports of infrastructure damage, 318 reports of building damage and 307 reports of fallen signs, the Taipei Public Works Department said. Workers were mobilized late last night to clear the debris as soon as possible, the department said. However, as of this morning, many people were leaving messages
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
A Canadian dental assistant was recently indicted by prosecutors after she was caught in August trying to smuggle 32kg of marijuana into Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Wednesday. The 30-year-old was arrested on Aug. 4 after arriving on a flight to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Chang Tsung-lung (張驄瀧), a squad chief in the Aviation Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters. Customs officials noticed irregularities when the woman’s two suitcases passed through X-ray baggage scanners, Chang said. Upon searching them, officers discovered 32.61kg of marijuana, which local media outlets estimated to have a market value of more than NT$50 million (US$1.56