Who will be Kaoshiung's new Mayor?

Why do they keep using quotes around “mayor”? Even if you want to take the stance that Taiwan isn’t its own independent nation, what else would govern a city? A pack of Formosan black bears? It’s one thing to put scare quotes around “president” if you want to call Tsai Yingwen’s authority into question, but doing that with Korea Fish just makes them look like they don’t know what they’re talking about. Or are they so unaware of English grammar that they think quotes place the weird emphasis on the word, like they do in Chinese?

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They never really did that before. But I guess it’s just because of some mindless editor tryin to be extra safe as the CCP boss behind him is holding a metrestick for whacking.

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Interesting the Global times reads Taiwan News , from the link
“Kaohsiung City KMT Council Speaker Hsu Kun-yuan, who strongly supported Han during the mayoral election in 2018, jumped from his apartment Saturday evening two hours after Mayor Han admitted defeated in a recall election, Taiwan News reported.”

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Hsu had an interesting history. Both his parents died before he turned 14, and he was essentially raised by his brother Hsu Kun-long (許昆龍). His brother later became a Taiwanese independence activist, and fought against KMT dictatorship and even became DPP’s first Kaohsiong party leader . Hsu Kun-yuan followed his brother’s footsteps and joined the DPP.

However, his brother was framed and implicated by the KMT to have involved in a 1986 shooting in Kaohsiong that took the lives of 2 policemen, which the case itself was very bizarre. That cased the older brother Kun-long to drop out of politics.

At the same time, the younger brother Hsu Kun-yuan became famous for his connections to local gangs. He’s known to lend money generously to brothers in need of case, and has no trouble collecting his debt.

Soon, he ran for the city councilor in 1994 as an independent and became the head of the alliance of independent councilors. In 2004, he wanted to gain KMT support for his bid as speaker. Ma Ying-jeou, who was KMT chair at the time, refused. So Hsu formed a deep city council, and operated essentially as the real speaker.

In 2008, after Ma became president, Hsu officially joined the KMT, shedding his past clout as the younger brother of anti-KMT activist, and embracing his real identity as Kaohsiong’s local faction leader, which is just another way to say he’s the leader of local gangs.

His son was arrested for making counterfeit bills and drug trafficking in 2003. Hsu himself was implicated in and charged for multiple scandals, including accepting bribes and embezzlement, but most were found not guilty due to lack of evidence, except for being found guilty and sentence to 1 year for forging documents for reimbursements in 2015.

There are rumored connection between Hsu and Kaohsiong gangs, local gravel businesses, underground gambling, and much more. Local police refer to him as the Emperor.

In 2019, Hsu allied himself with Korea Fish, and Korea Fish at one point declared that anyone who oppose Hsu to remain as speaker will be kicked out of KMT.

Hsu also threatened police to stay in line after Han became the mayor.

Hsu suffered a stroke July of 2019, and since then had became very depressed. His jump may have been related to his health condition.

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Apparently this was confirmed today: no further legal challenges from Han’s team. Kaohsiung will soon have an acting mayor and then a new mayor following a by-election.

Guy

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Former Deputy Mayor Yang Ming-jou (楊明州) will apparently be appointed acting mayor:

Guy

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The upcoming by-election date is now set: Saturday August 15.

Guy

Oooh boy! Christmas Election season has come early! What a treat!

I wonder if I should collect more dolls.

Have you worn out the old one already?

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Naw man, I sent them to Canada.

Tsai’s lounging and Han’s taking a nap after kissing each other.

Is that like when you take the dog to “live on a farm”?

Naw, they’re famous now! I sent them to be in SHOWBIZ!

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Hope your getting your 20%

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Am I the only one who thinks DPP Mayoral candidate Chen Chi-Mai looks like Colt from 90 Day Fiancé? :thinking:

image

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Is he the one who’s dad was fiddling the books?

You mean the Mayoral Candidate?

I don’t really know anything about Chen, except he seems bland and safe, but lacking charisma or any masculinity.

If you’re talking about his western doppelgänger Colt, you’ll have to watch ‘90 Day Fiancé’ for what his Dad does. :man_shrugging:

That’s a bit of an understatement.
Chen Che-nan - Wikipedia , "Businessman Chen You-hao named Chen Che-nan as one of the people who helped Chen Shui-bian solicit donations for Chen Shui-bian’s 1998 Taipei mayoral campaign and the 2000 presidential campaign.[4] In a separate case also involving black gold politics, Chen Che-nan was found to have used his political influence to secure favorable court rulings for businessman Liang Po-hsun. The Taipei District Court ruled in December 2006 that Chen was to serve twelve years in prison.[5] An appeal to the Taiwan High Court shortened the sentence to nine years.[6] A retrial of the Liang–Chen case was later heard by the Taiwan High Court in 2010. Presiding judge Tseng ter-shui convicted Chen of fraud,[7] a lesser charge that dramatically reduced Chen’s sentence to seven months imprisonment,[8] which was again appealed.[9] Chen Heng-kuan, one of three High Court judges to hear the case, considered resigning his position.[7][10] The same court ruled in March 2013 that Chen Che-nan was to serve eight years imprisonment.[11] The Supreme Court reduced Chen’s sentence by one year in November 2014.[12] Chen began serving the seven-year prison sentence in Kaohsiung weeks later.[13] He was released on parole in October 2017.[14]

Chen Che-nan was deeply involved in the 2005 Kaohsiung MRT foreign workers scandal.[15][16] This led to his expulsion from the Democratic Progressive Party later that year. Chen also lost an Order of Brilliant Star, awarded in 2002, and an Order of Propitious Clouds, awarded in 2004.[17][18] As a further consequence of the scandal, Chen left his post as national policy adviser.[19] In 2007, the Kaohsiung District Court dropped all corruption charges against Chen.[20]

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US media like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal took the ouster as a symbol that the people of the island were throwing the mainland-friendly mayor or pro-mainland mayor out of office.

But mainland analysts said that was not the case, as the mainland didn’t attach too much importance to Han and the KMT and it would not impact reunification progress at all.

Thats really funny. What a pathetic jilted ex-lover. Han was all over mainland media last year, up until Autumn when they realized they could be backing a losing horse.

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It’s all America’s fault. Or Japan’s. Or someone’s.

Guy

The KMT has nominated Kaohsiung City Councilor Li Mei-jhen (李眉蓁) as their candidate for the upcoming by-election:

Guy

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