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.”
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday hosted a reception to celebrate Double Ten National Day. Conservative Canadian lawmaker Marc Dalton called Taiwan a “beacon of courage and resilience in the face of rising authoritarianism,” according to a post on the Taiwan in Vancouver Facebook page. Also in attendance were fellow conservative caucus members Tako Van Popta and Chak Au, who said that Taiwan plays an “indispensable role” in ensuring global peace, prosperity and stability due to its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. Canadian lawmaker Michael Cooper also recorded a message wishing Taiwan a
RSS