The political fallout from a fire that spewed heavy pollution across Yunlin County two weeks ago is unlikely to affect election prospects more than 150km away in Taipei County, the candidates in the two major parties said yesterday.
The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) Eric Chu (朱立倫) and the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) denied that the government’s handling of the pollution would sway the more than half a million Taipei County voters from the largely agricultural county.
The questions were raised after Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) knelt in front of the Executive Yuan on Thursday, appealing to Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) to crack down on pollution caused by the region's massive petrochemical complex.
The 1,680-hectare plant, located in Mailiao Township (麥寮), is owned by the Formosa Plastics Group and its operations over the past few years have led to a number of health concerns among residents.
These concerns were compounded by a fire that broke out at a pollution treatment facility in the complex on July 25. The smoke is said to have exposed Yunlin residents to seven times the average level of airborne pollutants and seriously damaged the county's agricultural and fishing industries.
Speaking at a campaign stop in a Taipei County temple yesterday, Tsai said she did not see how the incident would boost the opposition party’s election prospects.
“Su's kneeling was based on concerns for the well-being and safety of [Yunlin County] residents. We should see the fire as an environmental incident instead of it having a direct connection to the [November] elections,” she said.
Tsai, who doubles as DPP chairperson, recently spoke out in support of the county commissioner, saying the DPP would likely put a halt on future petrochemical expansions if it regains power in 2012.
Chu said he did not see how the industrial incident could be politicized, given that “in today's society, I don't think industrial safety should be given a political slant.”
He told reporters that he has maintained good relations with Taipei County residents originally from Yunlin and would be counting on their support on Nov. 27.
A representative from a Yunlin community association in the electoral district declined to comment, calling it a “sensitive issue.”
Tsai and Chu are locked neck-and-neck in the elections for the nation’s most populous municipality. Taipei County will be upgraded to a special municipality and renamed Sinbei City on Dec. 25.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated