The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday sent its best wishes to its legislative candidates in districts that are traditionally Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) strongholds, describing them as embarking upon a crusade like the “Normandy landings.”
At a campaign event, DPP vice presidential candidate Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) said yesterday was “D-day” of the “Hope Alliance of Normandy Landings,” which is composed of five candidates.
“Hopefully, January 14, 2011, will be the ‘V-Day’ for you,” Su told the candidates.
Kao Chien-chi (高建智), Chiang Yung-chang (江永昌), Hsu Yu-ming (許又銘), former baseball star George Chao (趙士強) and Juan Chao-hsiung (阮昭雄) will run in the districts of Sindian (新店), Jhonghe (中和), Yonghe (永和), Da-an (大安) and Wenshan (文山). Past results show the DPP’s chances of winning in these districts in Taipei and New Taipei City (新北市) are slim.
In response to the analogy drawn by the DPP between the elections and the Normandy landings, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) said he did not think the analogy would be a blessing.
“In history, D-Day was a day when thousands died,” Ting said. “D-day could also be interpreted as Death-day.”
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) spokesperson Christopher Kavanagh, meanwhile, declined to comment on the grounds that he did not know in what context Su mentioned the Normandy landings.
DPP legislative candidates have been seeking catchphrases as a strategy to attract voters attention by forming small alliances.
Previously, five other DPP legislative candidates, who are heavy smartphone users, announced the formation of an alliance called “Congress iPhone 5” late last month and said they would make good lawmakers because of their familiarity with high-tech gadgets and new ideas.
Another eight candidates from districts across the nation named their alliance “Our Generation” and pledged to be the voice of the underprivileged.
Meanwhile, the DPP yesterday announced that Greater Taichung councilor Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純) would be its replacement candidate in Greater Taichung’s seventh district after Ho defeated four other hopefuls in a public opinion poll that pitted the hopefuls against KMT candidate Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), DPP Deputy Secretary-General Hung Yao-fu (洪耀福) said.
All five contestants defeated Cheng in the poll, but Ho finished with the largest lead of 40.8 percent to 23 percent, Hung said.
She replaces Chien Chao-tung (簡肇棟), who withdrew from the election earlier this month after his involvement in a hit-and-run car accident that killed one person.
Additional Reporting By Shih Hsiu-chuan
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by