Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chien Chao-tung (簡肇棟) yesterday tendered his resignation and withdrew from January’s legislative elections in Greater Taichung after being released on bail for a hit-and-run accident in which a man died.
In a hastily called press conference after being released on NT$200,000 bail, Chien denied intentionally leaving the scene of an accident, but announced he was stepping down as a legislator and pulling out of the election.
He said he thought he had run over an object, not a person.
Photo: Chang Hsieh-sheng, Taipei Times
Chien, 56, said he did not know he had run over and killed the man, surnamed Chen (陳), until he was informed by police yesterday morning.
He said he had extended his condolences to Chen’s family and that he would face up to the ensuing investigation.
DPP officials said the party was sorry to learn of the accident and extended its condolences to the victim and his family, and it would conduct its own investigation as well.
A replacement candidate for Chien would be announced later, the party said.
Chien was driving in Dali District (大里), Greater Taichung, on Saturday night when he ran over a man in his 50s at 11:48pm, Taichung City police chief Tiao Cheng-sheng (刁建生) said yesterday.
The victim was sent to hospital before being pronounced dead from severe injuries a short time later.
Police identified Chien through surveillance video, Tiao said, adding that Chien had reported to the police and admitted he was driving the car at the time of the accident.
Police said a witness reported that the victim appeared drunk and was hit by a car after falling onto the road.
Taichung City Police Bureau’s Traffic Police Corps declined to discuss specific details of the accident because its investigation was ongoing.
Chien, who had been seeking re-election, was running against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in the seventh district of Taiping (太平) and Dali (大里).
A physician by training, Chien defeated the KMT’s Yu Wen-chin (余文欽) in Taichung County in a by-election for the legislative seat in January last year.
He had lost in the same district in the 2008 legislative elections to the KMT’s Chiang Lien-fu (江連福). Chiang lost the seat in October 2009 for vote-buying.
Chien also served as Dali City mayor in what was then Taichung County from 1998 to 2002 and a previous term as a DPP legislator from 2002 to 2005.
‘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
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
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS