Taipei, July 4 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Friday that the by-election in Hualien County should enable the voters to choose someone who is capable and has the vision to lead the eastern county to a better future.
The president said that the Aug. 2 by-election, made necessary by the death of former County Magistrate Chang Fu-hsing in mid-May, should not be narrowly defined as rivalry between political parties, or be interpreted as a major battle between the ruling and opposition parties in the runup to the presidential election of March 2004. "These political considerations will only blur the focus of this election, " the president said as he made an inspection tour of the Hualien county government.
The president said that he had committed himself to the development of Hualien in the areas of transportation, culture and tourism since he was inaugurated in May 2000.
In terms of transport, the president noted that he promised during his election campaign to upgrade the Hualien airport into an international airport. This promise saw its initial fruits in October 2001, when direct flights between Japan and Hualien were established.
Routes to Southeast Asia and Europe will be inaugurated by the end of this year, the president went on, adding that the first-stage expansion work on the airport terminal will be completed in February 2004.
An electrification project for the north-bound railway line was also completed Friday, the president said, while construction of the NT$96.2 billion (US$2.74 billion) Su-Hua Freeway will start by the end of the year and is scheduled to be completed in 2011.