Pressure was mounting against the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday, over claims that problems have been found with a large number of government contractors that were approved when he was Taoyuan County commissioner.
The latest issue of the Chinese-language Next Magazine stated that 234 government contracts issued for school infrastructure renewal projects in Taoyuan County were mired in some sort of controversy — out of the total 425. Citing information from prosecutors’ offices, the report said that most of the controversial contracts were picked up by a set group of construction companies.
At an election stop, Chu, the mayoral candidate for what will become Sinbei City, said he believed that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had orchestrated a campaign of negative stories in the run-up to the special municipality elections next month. The accusations, he said, lacked evidence and he would welcome an investigation into the case by prosecutors.
“We understand that recently the DPP caucus has been collecting all sorts of statistics and documents in Taoyuan to hand to a number of special media outlets,” he said. “[The DPP] should not engage in underhanded tactics to win the elections.”
Instead, he insisted that the county government’s contracts were handled appropriately.
“Everything fulfilled relevant regulations. Government contracts all have many layers of checks,” he said. “[The accusations] don’t have any meaning at all ... and we will stand up to their test.”
The KMT candidate’s remarks come after the magazine showed no signs of holding back its release of potentially damaging information on Chu’s tenure as Taoyuan County commissioner between 2001 and last year. Last week, the publication wrote that two companies he once endorsed were engaged in allegedly illicit practices.
In the latest report, it said that 59 of the 234 allegedly problematic contracts approved by the county government contained prices that were exactly the same as the government’s unpublicized minimum amount. It also said that in nine of the contracts, the final amount paid was higher than what was allowed under its terms.
Speaking in response to the report, Chu’s opponent, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said she hoped Chu could face up to what she called public concerns. Chu, she said, also needed to make clear his own responsibilities in the controversies.
“It’s not important where the information is coming from. The central issue is whether or not these media [reports] are true,” she said. “We hope that Chu’s campaign can avoid [downplaying] the reports ... he needs to give a complete explanation.”
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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