Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday announced before a rally in Hualien that he has officially registered to run in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) primary and pledged to allot infrastructure funding indiscriminately among urban and rural areas.
Han, appearing at about 5pm with his wife, Lee Chia-fen (李佳芬), was greeted by calls of “A commoner president to unify Taiwan” and “Vote Han into presidency.”
The event organizer estimated that about 150,000 people attended the rally.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
Han said that 2020 would be a “life-and-death battle for the Republic of China” and that he aimed to move Taiwan away from poverty and unhappiness.
Blaming the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for inter-party fighting and public unhappiness, Han said: “Politics should not be devoid of humanity and should be capable of bringing warmth, passion and laughter to the people.”
Hualien County, once renowned as a tourist hotspot, has over the past two or three years lost 18 major flight paths, including one that flew to Hong Kong, Han said.
With beautiful scenery and capable residents, the county does not lack the necessary foundation, but is prevented from rebuilding due to public transportation issues, he said.
“Like a wuxia [武俠, martial-arts literature] master well versed in neikung [but suffering from a blocked acupuncture point], Hualien Commissioner Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚) is unable to channel her qi into a lethal attack,” Han said.
Han said that, if elected, he would not overlook the people of Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties, but would expedite construction of the Suhua Expressway, facilitate Hualien-Taichung transportation and develop better healthcare and education infrastructure in the area.
Hsu voiced support for Han’s presidential bid and called on the public to vote for a president that would keep the nation safe and make Taiwanese wealthy.
Separately yesterday, former New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), a KMT presidential hopeful, said that he wishes the best for Han’s rally, adding that if every KMT candidate does well, the KMT as a whole would do well.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海集團) chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘), also a KMT presidential hopeful, criticized Han, saying that he was not familiar with the concept of overhead.
Policies that are friendly to the economy should promote the use of local wares and products to provide local stimulus, he added.
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