Following recent reports about Paul the German oracle octopus and his predictions for the soccer World Cup, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors yesterday brought two octopuses to the Taipei City Council to predict the winner in November's Taipei mayoral election.
During a question-and-answer session with Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), DPP Taipei City councilors Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄), Huang Hsiang-chun (黃向群) and Liu Yao-ren (劉耀仁) prepared a tank with two plastic boxes inside, one with Hau's photo and one with a photo of his DPP opponent, former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
The first octopus to be dropped into the water tank quickly moved to the box with Hau's picture and embraced the box with its tentacles, attracting a round of laughter and applause from city government officials.
PHOTO: HUANG CHUNG-JUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The second octopus, however, moved to Su's picture and was followed by the first octopus, still holding the box with Hau's picture.
“Apparently, the octopus predicts that Su will win the mayoral election. Mayor Hau, with the forecast and your low support rate, I think you should be worried about the election's results,” Chuang said.
Hau played down the forecast and said he was confident he would win the Nov. 27 election.
“It's clear that he [the first octopus] chose my picture. He grabbed my box tightly,” Hau said.
Hau also accused the DPP councilors of animal abuse after Chuang tried to affect the octopus' choice with a long stick.
“It's an act of animal abuse and you are killing the octopuses by putting them in an environment that is not suitable for them,” Hau said.
Paul the octopus became a superstar after accurately predicting the winner of the World Cup and the outcome of all six of Germany's World Cup matches.
Chuang said the octopuses were purchased at a fish market and would be freed after the session.
Yen I-feng (嚴一峰), director of Taipei City's Animal Protection Office, said the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) only includes regulations on vertebrates. Octopuses and other invertebrates are not protected by the act.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City councilors later joined Hau in accusing the DPP councilors of abusing the octopuses and using the animals for political show.
“I think the question-and-answer session should focus on the discussion of municipal policies and Hau's performance. The octopus show is nothing but a hoax,” KMT Taipei City Councilor Dai Hsi-chin (戴錫欽) said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
RSS