Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said that unless the “sky is falling,” he would not join the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Ko made the comment in response to media queries about whether he would consider joining the party to fend off competition from potential DPP rivals in his re-election bid.
Ko, an independent, said he would keep his promise and not join any political party before his current term expires.
“Unless the sky is falling and the Earth is cracking open, I will strive to keep my word,” the mayor said.
Ko added that launching an election campaign for 2018 is a personal matter and that it does not constitute a reason for him to join the DPP.
DPP Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) has been seen gearing up for the 2018 Taipei mayoral election.
Yao is organizing a forum slated for next month on Taipei’s “smart” infrastructure and e-commerce, and he has asked Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳) to speak on the topic.
Yao has hinted that he would run for Taipei mayor and the move is viewed as part of his preparations for the mayoral race.
Ko said Tang is a talent in the high-tech sector, so it is only natural that Yao has invited her to give a speech.
On whether he felt “threatened” by Yao, Ko said his greatest enemy is himself and that he would focus on his job for now.
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
The 2025 Kaohsiung Wonderland–Winter Amusement Park event has teamed up with the Japanese manga series Chiikawa this year for its opening at Love River Bay yesterday, attracting more than 10,000 visitors, the city government said. Following the success of the “2024 Kaohsiung Wonderland” collaboration with a giant inflatable yellow duck installation designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, this year the Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau collaborated with Chiikawa by Japanese illustrator Nagano to present two giant inflatable characters. Two inflatable floats — the main character, Chiikwa, a white bear-like creature with round ears, and Hachiware, a white cat with a blue-tipped tail
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
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