In a morning interview with radio host Clara Chou (周玉蔻), TPP Legislator Tsai Pi-ru (蔡壁如) said she believed that parties could work together, but their nominee must be independent and local. Former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is to leave office today following Saturday’s successful recall vote. Focusing on northern Taiwan has led the KMT to overlook Kaohsiung and the resource distribution gap following the 2010 merger of Kaohsiung city and county, he said. Han’s 2018 victory had changed Kaohsiung residents’ perception of the KMT and upset the political balance in the region, Chiang said. “The recall results is a reminder that we should not take the open-mindedness of the people of Kaohsiung for granted,” he added.

A supporter of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu yesterday signs an umbrella to be sent to Han as a sign of support after he was recalled on Saturday last week. Photo: Ko Yu-hao, Taipei TimesMore than 97 percent of the ballots were cast in favor of recalling Han. He was apparently referring to what Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) wrote on Facebook, which linked Hsu’s death to underground betting. The rally was not organized by Han’s supporters, Wu said, adding that Han has distanced himself from it, so it would be an issue for him to participate. “I ask Han Kuo-yu to come out with courage — Han must not abandon his supporters,” Huang said yesterday, adding that in quitting and running away, Han and Wu have “no guts.”

Yang to become acting Kaohsiung mayor: sourceBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterThe Executive Yuan has selected former Kaohsiung City Government secretary-general Yang Ming-jou (楊明州) as Kaohsiung acting mayor, sources with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. Yang was acceptable to the pan-blue and pan-green camps, easing tensions in preparation for a Kaohsiung mayoral by-election after Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) was recalled on Saturday last week, they said. Former Kaohsiung City Government secretary-general Yang Ming-jou talks to the media in an undated photograph. His experience in municipal affairs also makes him an ideal acting mayor as the Kaohsiung City Council begins a month-long intensive question-and-answer session on Friday next week, they added. In related developments, DPP Kaohsiung City Councilor Kao Min-lin (高閔琳) on Wednesday said that she would not support DPP Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) becoming acting mayor.

Dalinpu villagers call for clear relocation planBy Hung Chen-hung, Lo Chi and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerPlans to move Dalinpu Village (大林蒲) in Kaohsiung’s Siaogang District (小港) hit another setback after villagers on Tuesday said they would not attend Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin’s (沈榮津) June 21 presentation if the ministry fails to provide a clear relocation plan. It last year allocated NT$16.4 million to facilitate the relocation, along with NT$12.3 million annually from this year to 2023, Lai added. The government has negotiated a deal for a ping (3.3m2) for ping exchange rate for the relocation, Lai said. The government would be able to negotiate pricing with the villagers after the assessment passed and would even be able to expropriate land, Hung said, adding that he felt the environmental assessment would render villagers helpless against the law. The government, after a meeting in April, agreed to allow the environmental assessment to move into the second stage.

Insurance agents, unions seek greater work rightsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterInsurance agents and labor unions’ representatives yesterday criticized the Regulations Governing the Supervision of Insurance Solicitors (保險業務員管理規則) for giving too much power to insurance companies to penalize their sales agents. For example, Taiwan Life Insurance Co (台灣人壽保險), had punished agents for “disrupting order in the office,” while Mercuries Life Insurance Co (三商美邦人壽保險) required its agents to sign non-disclosure declarations and give up their legal rights, Chuang said. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiang Yung-chang, on dias, yesterday speaks at a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei about disputes between insurance companies and their sales agents. Companies can impose rules on their employees, according to the Labor Standards Act (勞基法), but most insurance agents are contracted workers and deserve fewer restrictions, Yan said. DPP Legislator Chiang Yung-chang (江永昌) said the Insurance Act (保險法) should also be amended to be comply with labor regulations.

Culture ministry to issue vouchersBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAThe Ministry of Culture is to issue a separate stimulus voucher to stimulate the arts and culture industries, which have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得) said that the ministry is to issue separate vouchers, as the Executive Yuan’s Triple Stimulus Voucher program would not feed into culture and arts without government policies to lead the way. The ministry’s vouchers are expected to add NT$5 billion (US$168.16 million) to the industries, with more than 10,000 businesses to benefit, Lee said. Expenses for the ministry’s vouchers are estimated at NT$1.2 billion, Lee said. A stimulus program has not been planned for international travel, but the transport ministry is mulling whether a relief program is needed to help travel agencies, he said.

In North America, some enterprises encourage working from home (WFH) because it can save them a lot of money. Others go even further, and embrace distributed working so they can access a global talent pool. In North America, some enterprises encourage working from home (WFH) because it can save them a lot of money. I think foreign companies are more open to employees working from home because they are concerned about liability issues arising from the pandemic. Also, they may already be doing this overseas.”Culture perhaps explains why even tech companies have been surprisingly slow to embrace working from home.

Suspects in Taipei burglary captured in KaohsiungBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterTaipei police have detained three Colombian men in connection with the burglary of a construction company owner’s condominium on Friday last week, while the search continues for local suspects believed to have been involved. The trio were picked up in Kaohsiung on Monday as they checked into separate hotels and were brought back to Taipei for questioning. “We identified three Colombian men based on surveillance camera footage and other information. Police officers yesterday escort three Colombian men suspected of a burglary on Friday last week into detention in Taipei. Photo: Wen Yu-teh, Taipei TimesThe men arrived in Kaohsiung from Singapore on March 14 on a Scoot airline flight, with tourist visas, Liu said.

Taipei relaxes public market restrictionsSOCIAL DISTANCING: People visiting public markets are advised, but not required to wear masks, but vendors are obliged to do so as they interact with more peopleBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterTaipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday announced the relaxing of customer flow restrictions at the city’s public markets, and said that people do not have to wear masks if they maintain social distancing. The central government has not given any instructions for public markets, but if public transport restrictions can be loosened when proper social distancing is maintained, “then we can also cancel the foot traffic restrictions at public markets,” Huang said at the city’s COVID-19 prevention news conference. “However, just as with public transportation, we still suggest that people wear a mask when visiting public markets,” she said. Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang, center, promotes Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corp’s online shopping platform at the city’s COVID-19 prevention news conference yesterday. The decision was made on Monday at the city’s COVID-19 response task force meeting, she added.

Virus Outbreak: CECC mulls requiring two negative tests for dischargeAIR TRAVEL: CECC advisory specialist panel convener Chang Shan-chwen said some countries ‘are negotiating the possibility of resuming international travel with us’By Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported no new cases of COVID-19, and said that it is considering revising the discharge criteria for confirmed COVID-19 cases from three consecutive negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to two. Yesterday marked the ninth consecutive day of no new COVID-19 cases in Taiwan and the 59th consecutive day of no locally transmitted cases. The panel has submitted its recommendation and now the center would decide whether to adopt it, he added. “There are some countries that are negotiating the possibility of resuming international travel with us now — and the news from Vietnam is fairly accurate,” he said. Chen Tsung-yen also announced that Olympic table tennis player Chiang Hung-chieh (江宏傑) would serve as the center’s new disease prevention ambassador, helping it to promote the “new disease prevention lifestyle.”

Taiwan expects to resume pork exportsStaff writer, with CNATaiwan would resume fresh pork exports in the second half of this year if the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) declares it a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)- free country where vaccination is not practiced, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said on Monday. After passing various tests and verification, the nation expects to receive notification from the OIE of its FMD-free without vaccination status in the middle of this month, the council said. That would make Taiwan one of only two Asian countries other than Japan with that status, it said. Taiwan currently exports only certain processed pork products to a handful of nations, the council said. The OIE is likely to formally notify Taiwan later this month after completing all required procedures, the council said.

Post-Han KMT must cross barrierBy Tzou Jiing-wen 鄒景雯There is little doubt that Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) has developed a political brand for himself, and it is possible that this “Han brand” will persist. Han won the former election, but lost the latter, and yet his brand remains the most marketable in Taiwanese politics that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has under its umbrella. It remains a viable option for the KMT, even though it did not help Han survive Saturday’s recall vote. The “Han Kuo-yu barrier” is the precedent set by the number of votes Han received in the last presidential election. Han may be unwashed and somewhat dazed by the recall drubbing, but who in the KMT can counter him, now a liability, when he returns to KMT headquarters?

Tsai has chance to address FTA: AmCham chairBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterAs Taiwan’s relations with the US are better than ever, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has a chance to make progress on a US-Taiwan free-trade agreement (FTA) this year, American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (AmCham) chairman C.W. Chin, left, and president William Foreman present the chamber’s annual white paper at its official release in Taipei yesterday. In its annual white paper released yesterday, AmCham for the second consecutive year urged the US government to enter into negotiations with Taiwan for a bilateral trade agreement. “We urge the US and Taiwan to handle their disagreements in a more practical and flexible way,” AmCham president William Foreman told reporters. AmCham also suggested that the US bring the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement process back on track as soon as the travel situation permits.

Post offices open on two Saturdays for vouchersCONVENIENCE: Normally, only 284 post offices stay open on Saturdays, mostly until noon, but the postal firm has decided to open all offices to distribute the vouchersBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterMore than 1,200 post offices nationwide will be open on two Saturdays — July 18 and July 25 — for people to purchase Triple Stimulus Vouchers, Chunghwa Post said yesterday. In addition to electronic vouchers, people can purchase physical vouchers at post offices and convenience stores nationwide. Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times“We have 284 post offices that are open on Saturdays and most of them are open only until noon. To make it convenient for office workers to purchase vouchers, we are planning to have all of our post offices — 1,299 in total — to remain open the entire day on July 18 and July 25,” Chunghwa Post associate manager Kuo Chun-yang (郭純陽) said. “Our experience tells us that we have more customers on weekends than during the week, as most office workers might not have time to run errands on weekdays and would take advantage of Saturday to visit a post office.

New Party seeks to recall TSP’s ChenREVENGE MOVE? From left, New Party members Lin Ming-cheng, Wang Ping-chung and Su Heng in Taipei yesterday announce plans to launch a campaign to recall Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei, who represents a Taichung consituency. Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei, left, talks to reporters in Taichung yesterday after the New Party announced plans to launch a recall campaign against him. If 70,000 out of the 100,000 voters who voted against Chen on Jan. 11 voted to recall him, a recall election would succeed, Wang said. New Party member Lin Ming-cheng (林明正), called on the KMT to “man up” and initiate recalls for 10 pan-green legislators for supporting the recall campaign against Han.