The Central Election Commission (CEC) yesterday approved a motion to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Keelung Mayor George Hsieh (謝國樑), setting Oct. 13 for a by-election.
Civic groups on March 8 began a campaign to recall Hsieh, saying that he had failed in the role.
They said that Hsieh abused his power to benefit the Breeze Group, which is run by the family of his ex-girlfriend Michelle Liao (廖曉喬), by ordering police to break into Keelung E-Square Mall to complete a handover.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
NET Fashion Development Corp disputed the rights of operation of the mall by Breeze Group, who won the bid. NET Fashion Development filed a lawsuit against Hsieh and the city government, accusing them of breaking and entering, as operating rights were still being disputed in court.
Asked whether the recall was politically motivated, Hsieh said that the right to recall has become a tool to overturn election results.
Such habits should not be allowed to continue, he said, urging Keelung residents to vote to prevent continued abuse of recalls.
The KMT in a statement questioned the neutrality of the CEC, citing CEC Chairman Lee Chin-yung’s (李進勇) “open support” for the recall campaign.
Hsieh has worked hard to govern Keelung, the KMT said, adding that his decisions regarding the Breeze Group were in full compliance with the law and safeguarded the property of Keelung residents.
The court has ruled in favor of the Keelung City Government in all three trials to date regarding the mall, showing that the city is in the right, the KMT said.
The KMT criticized President William Lai (賴清德) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary-General Lin You-chang (林右昌), accusing them of impartiality for their support of the recall movement.
The DPP plans to mobilize and launch multiple recall motions in the hope of unseating enough legislators to regain its legislative majority, the KMT said, adding that Keelung residents should not allow that to happen.
Separately, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) said that the party respected Keelung residents’ exercise of their rights.
The DPP has been clear in its stance on the issue, Wu told reporters.
The DPP and the Keelung City Council are continuing their inspection of Hsieh’s faults in governance and whether he is attempting to make improvements to oversight of the city government, Wu said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is