KMT to rally in Taipei on July 25 over tainted cooking oil scandal

Taipei, July 17 (CNA) Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said Friday that the party will hold a rally in Taipei on July 25 to urge the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government to address the Central Union Oil scandal and strengthen food safety protections.

Cheng announced details of the rally at a press conference at KMT headquarters alongside party Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Lee Chien-lung (李乾龍).

She criticized the DPP government's handling of the contaminated oil case, accusing it of failing to manage the crisis effectively or take responsibility.

Cheng said the KMT decided to organize the rally after Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) met with the party's legislative caucus Friday morning and raised concerns shared by the public.

Participants will begin gathering at 5 p.m. on July 25, with the main rally scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office, Cheng said.

The KMT will invite representatives from the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), experts and civic groups to attend, she added.

Cheng said the rally is intended to reflect public concerns and press the government to address food safety issues.

The Central Union Oil case came to light in late June after the company reported that a 1,300-metric-ton batch of soybean oil produced on April 4 contained the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene at nearly four times Taiwan's legal limit.

• EXPLAINER / What is Taiwan's tainted cooking oil scandal?

Authorities have said the company learned of the contamination nearly three weeks before reporting it, while prosecutors are investigating whether it bears criminal liability.

Earlier Friday, Chiang met privately with KMT lawmakers, including caucus convener Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), for about 40 minutes at the Legislative Yuan before holding a joint news conference with Fu.

At the news conference, Chiang criticized what he described as the central government's mishandling of the contamination case, saying he had visited the Legislature to exchange views with the main opposition party.

Chiang later urged people concerned about food safety to attend the July 25 rally in a Facebook post.

Describing food safety as a matter of national security, Chiang called on President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) to apologize over the scandal and Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) to step down.

In a separate statement, TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) expressed support for the rally.

Huang said his party would continue pursuing political accountability through the Legislative Yuan while pressing the government to disclose all information related to the case and investigate those responsible.