Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday denied that he was planning to run in the 2012 presidential election.
In a statement issued by his office, Chen said the media had misinterpreted remarks he made in an interview with a radio station in southern Taiwan the previous day.
In response to a caller’s suggestion on the radio show that he ought to run in the 2012 presidential election, Chen said that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was already trying to hunt him down after he stepped down as president, so “what would happen if I announced today that I will challenge him in the 2012 presidential election?”
Chen then added: “Don’t set me up if you really love me.”
The remarks were interpreted by some local media outlets, including the Chinese-language United Daily News and Apple Daily, as a hint that Chen would run again in the 2012 election.
Chen’s office dismissed the possibility yesterday.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) told a press conference yesterday that Chen never said during the interview that he would run in the 2012 election.
DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has made it clear that there would be no more political heroes in the party, and that it would be up to party members to decide who will represent the DPP in the presidential race, Lai said.
DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said Chen was merely making a sarcastic remark in response to Ma’s efforts to “hunt him down.”
When asked for comment yesterday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators dismissed the possibility of Chen running for president again.
“The KMT has nothing to be afraid of [if Chen were to run for president again],” KMT Legislator Tsai Chin-lung (蔡錦隆) said. “Taiwanese people are smart. It would be impossible [for Chen to be re-elected].”
KMT Legislator Shuai Hua-ming (帥化民) said Chen was trying to call on his supporters to help him fight charges of money-laundering.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
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
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS