The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday kept to its promise to bring fresh faces to next year’s legislative elections by adding two more political newcomers to its list of candidates — Freddy Lim (林昶佐) and Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸).
Hung, 32, gained national recognition after the 2013 death of her brother — army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘) — triggered an avalanche of protests demanding better protection of human rights in the military, while Lim, 39, is the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Chthonic and former chair of Amnesty International’s Taiwan chapter.
The duo announced their candidacy at a small breakfast store in Taipei yesterday morning to symbolize their belief that politics “should not be viewed as something distant and removed from our everyday lives.”
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
“Ever since my brother’s incident, we have been helped by many people who stood with us on our quest for fairness and justice,” Hung Tzu-yung said, adding that as a political outsider, she initially struggled with her decision to enter politics.
“It is my hope that whenever we encounter difficulties, we will not bow to fate or give up easily,” she added.
Hung Tzu-yung won praise for her leading role in the campaign following the death of her brother, in which she led more than 200,000 protesters in a march to demand more transparency in the military’s investigative efforts.
Their decision pits Hung Tzu-yung against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) in Taichung’s third electoral district — which includes the city’s northern Tanzi (潭子), Daya (大雅), Shengang (神岡) and Houli (后里) districts, while Lim is set to challenge KMT Legislator Chiang Nai-hsin (蔣乃辛) in Taipei’s Daan District (大安).
Despite Daan’s reputation as a KMT stronghold, Lim said that his decision to run there came “naturally,” as he was born and raised in the area.
Amid an explosion of candidates from minor parties entering the race, Lim could find himself competing for votes with the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) Fan Yun (范雲), a professor of sociology at National Taiwan University, who is reportedly considering running in Daan.
The launch of two activist parties — the SDP and the NPP — was the result of a split in civic group Taiwan Citizen’s Union, after its members encountered irreconcilable differences regarding its legislative nomination mechanism.
Academia Sinica researcher Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), who played a leading role in the Sunflower movement protests last year, said that he fully supported the NPP’s cause of pursuing reform in the legislature.
Huang said the two latest NPP candidates showed courage, as they differed from many local candidates who received backing from local “political dynasties” or large business conglomerates.
According to a report by the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) last month, Hung Tzu-yung’s uncle, Hu Shih-ho (胡世和), is also considering running as an independent in New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊).
Lim and Hung Tzu-yung’s decision to enter the race followed on the heels of human rights lawyers Hu Po-yen (胡博硯) and Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) — both attorneys in the Hung Chung-chiu case — who announced their decision to run on the NPP ticket last week.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of