Prominent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) figures yesterday rallied support for the party’s Hsinchu mayoral candidate, Shen Hui-hung (沈慧虹), as the candidates of other parties held separate campaign events, canvassed and led motorcades in the city.
On Friday, a draw to determine the candidates’ spots on the ballot determined that Shen would be No. 5, while Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Hsinchu mayoral candidate Lin Ken-jeng (林耕仁) would be No. 3 and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Hsinchu mayoral candidate Ann Kao (高虹安) would be No. 6.
The other spots on the ballot went to independent mayoral candidates, with Huang Yuan-fu (黃源甫) as No. 1, Kung Wei-lun (龔偉綸) as No. 2 and Lee Chi-chun (李驥?) as No. 4.
The three major parties have held events in the city in the past few days, with allegations that Kao had plagiarized her doctoral dissertation and breached rules at her former employer taking center stage.
However, Yeh Kuo-wen (葉國文), the TPP’s Hsinchu City councilor candidate in Shangshan District (香山), was also at the center of attention, with Shen saying that his “criminal” behavior showed that he was unfit for office.
The remarks came after Yeh was on Friday released on NT$200,000 bail, as an investigation over vote-buying allegations continued.
Yeh and his aides reportedly donated money to a local organization chaired by a woman surnamed Chen (陳) that runs a scholarship fund for students.
Investigators said they suspect that Yeh did so in exchange for the votes of organization members, adding that they had summoned 14 people in connection to the case, including Yeh and Chen.
Yeh was released on bail, but must remain at his residence, they said.
Meanwhile, Shen criticized Kao for backing Yeh at a TPP rally yesterday.
“People can see the true nature of Kao and the TPP,” Shen said, adding that Kao and her party also support other allegedly corrupt politicians, especially independent Miaoli County commissioner candidate Chung Tung-chin (鍾東錦), a long-time KMT member who was expelled from the party after registering independently.
Shen said that the TPP has formed an alliance with Chung, who is mired in a controversy over a decades-old murder charge and financial irregularities.
As for the accusations against Kao herself, Shen said she “self-plagiarized” reports that she had authored while working at the government-affiliated Institute for Information Industry for her doctoral dissertation, breaching her then-employer’s rules.
She remained on the institute’s payroll while studying in a doctoral program in the US and defied its expectation when she returned to Taiwan and immediately took a job at another employer instead of staying with the institute, Shen said.
She also took a part-time position at Taipei City-based Servtech Co without the institute’s approval, Shen said.
Kao said that the institute knew of her role at Servtech, and showed photographs and video footage of her guiding a group of government officials at an industry event in which she is wearing a Servtech uniform.
The footage was provided by the institute, which proves that she did not keep her role at Servtech secret, she said.
She followed institute rules and sought approval befor taking the position at Servtech, she said, adding that the institute’s accusations were unfair.
“Why do officials at the institute lie about the matter?” she asked, adding that they might be under pressure to stir up controversy to harm her campaign.
Meanwhile, DPP and KMT Hsinchu City councilor candidates separately said the TPP should explain its choice of candidates, referring to Yeh and another candidate who had been charged with drunk driving.
Kao, who heads the TPP’s Hsinchu chapter, should explain how the party nominated such flawed candidates, they said.
At a separate event, Kao said that her party would respect the outcome of the investigation in Shangshan District, while Yeh said he is innocent.
His campaign’s donation merely sought to support students from low-income families, Yeh said.
The controversy over the TPP’s Hsinchu City councilor candidate came days after Kao vowed that if elected mayor, she would launch an investigation into behind-the-scenes politicking in the city.
She said DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), a Hsinchu native who has represented a constituency of the city in the Legislative Yuan for decades, was involved in “unlawful activities” related to public projects in Hsinchu.
On Friday, Ker denied the accusations.
“Ann Kao is an arrogant, self-styled member of an academic elite and represents her party’s malicious spirit,” he said.
Ker made the remarks after attending a DPP event with former Hsinchu mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) at which they urged residents to vote for Shen.
“Shen has been a a civil servant for 32 years, including seven years in the Hsinchu City Government. She is the best choice for mayor,” Lin Chih-chien said, lauding the progress the city has made over the past seven years.
Projects realized by the city government can make Hsinchu residents proud, he said.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
RSS