The Democratic Progressive Party yesterday accused Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) of violating the law by campaigning for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taichung Mayor Jason Hu’s (胡志強) re-election during a government conference.
The council held a conference on Saturday in Taichung County to discuss the establishment of a woodcarving and forestry cultural park in the county.
Chen and Hu co-chaired the conference.
Hu said he fully supported the council’s proposal to establish a cultural park, adding that the government body should inject more money into the project to create a world-class cultural park.
Saying Hu always sought to have great parks or museums built in Taichung, Chen then pointed a finger at the mayor and said: “He must win the [Nov. 27 special municipalities] election. If he does not …”
At which point Hu cut in, singing: “Double, double the budget” with some participants in the room.
DPP spokesperson Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), who also serves as a spokesman for DPP Taichung mayoral candidate Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), said Chen’s remarks violated the principle of impartiality for government officials and may also have violated regulations on vote-buying, because he hinted that if Hu did not win, the council could decide not to grant the budget for the proposed park.
Asked for comment, Chen denied using the conference to campaign for the KMT’s candidate, saying he was only talking about building the cultural park and budget matters associated with the project.
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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