Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday returned to work at the Kaohsiung City Government and apologized to the city’s residents for not attending to his mayoral duties during his presidential campaign.
“I am sorry for having been away from Kaohsiung for three full months. I am sorry that I have not been there with you,” Han told a news conference at the Kaohsiung City Government.
Han on Oct. 16 last year took a leave of absence to run as the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate in the presidential election, which on Saturday culminated with him losing to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) by more than 2.6 million votes.
Photo: Chang Chung-i, Taipei Times
Although he had been on leave, the city government continued to carry out its duties, he said.
His priority would be to ensure that city residents experience a good Lunar New Year holiday, Han said, adding that he would keep the city safe and clean, and its consumer prices stable.
Asked about a post-election international news conference in Kaohsiung on Saturday, which he abruptly canceled at the last minute, Han said he canceled the conference because he had already given a speech on stage.
He had spoken his mind and urged his supporters to return home and calmly accept the election results in a concession speech earlier that day, he said.
“We hoped people would calm down, because they were very emotional... They were almost out of control,” Han added.
Asked about video footage showing him dining at a hotpot restaurant reportedly soon after the canceled news conference, Han said he had treated his campaign team to a meal, as none of them had had dinner.
Han declined to answer a question about younger KMT members’ call for a review of the party’s cross-strait policy, saying that it is irrelevant to the city government.
However, he said that there is a storm awaiting the nation.
“Members of the public must be united and the central government must lead the nation along a path with the most favorable conditions, while avoiding the opposite,” Han said.
Asked if he would consider running for party chairman if KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) steps down, Han said he has “absolutely no plans” to run for the post.
While a coalition of civic groups continue with a campaign to recall Han, he said that the campaign was launched just two months after he became mayor.
That such a campaign exists shows the value of freedom and democracy, Han said, adding that his team at the city government would continue to work hard.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) yesterday authorized the execution of convicted murderer Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), the first death row prisoner to be put to death since President William Lai (賴清德) took office. Huang was to be executed via a firing squad yesterday evening, which would leave Taiwan with 36 convicts on death row. Huang on Oct. 1, 2013, broke into his ex-girlfriend Wang Ping-chih’s (王品智) residence in New Taipei City, where he raped and murdered Wang. He also killed Wang’s mother. Huang was bitter over the breakup and her accusation that he had stolen NT$200,000 (US$6,074) from her bank account, prosecutors said
RSS