President Chen Shui-bian (
Mentioning the country's official name -- the Republic of China (ROC) -- only once in his speech, Chen shouted "Viva democracy, Taiwan jiayou [
With placards reading "Taiwan's entry into the UN" on the facade of the Presidential Office, this year was the first time the building had not been decorated with placards displaying the nation's official name.
PHOTO: WALLY SANTANA, AP
Chen said the decorations were different from that of previous years because the administration wanted to reflect its resolve to push for the nation's UN membership bid using the name "Taiwan."
Taiwan is an independent nation that belongs to the 23 million Taiwanese, Chen said, adding that only Taiwanese have final say on the country's future.
"This is a historical fact. The `status quo' in the Taiwan Strait is that Taiwan and the People's Republic of China [PRC] are two different nations," he said.
PHOTO: SAM YEH, AFP
"China cannot represent the 23 million people of Taiwan and Taiwanese have the absolute right to request appropriate representation at the United Nations," he said.
To "return" to the international body using the name ROC -- as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has proposed -- not only challenges UN Resolution 2758 but would also plunge Taiwan into a more isolated and dangerous situation, Chen said.
With the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the second phase of a petition to validate its referendum proposal seeking UN membership, Chen said he hoped the referendum could be held alongside the presidential election on March 22.
Chen also called on the legislature to pass amendments to the Referendum Law (
While the international community has expressed concern over the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy activists in Myanmar, Chen said equal attention should be paid to China's notorious human rights records and its persecution of freedom of speech, press and religious freedom.
Chen called on the international community to pressure Beijing into dismantling the missiles targeted at Taiwan, stopping military drills simulating attacks on Taiwan, abolishing its "Anti-Secession" Law and speeding up political and democratic reforms.
"We believe that only through China's democratic awakening can there be sustainable peace in the world," he said.
Chen said he had extended several olive branches to Beijing but that his efforts had only been met with more suppression. He nevertheless vowed to maintain a "firm position, pragmatic advancement" and to continue seeking normalization of cross-strait relations.
Calling the "cross-strait common market" proposed by KMT vice presidential candidate Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) a "one China market," Chen said it was bound to lead to China's economic annexation of Taiwan.
Chen also cited statistics to dismiss opposition claims that Taiwan's economy is doing worse than South Korea's, saying that Taiwan was still one of Asia's four tigers.
"For those who have Taiwan on their mind, Taiwan will always be prominent," he said.
Meanwhile, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) confirmed that he had requested that military policemen deployed at the National Day celebration remove flyers detailing the government's UN bid from guest seats before the celebrations.
Asked for comment, Wang, who organized the event, said he made an "emergency decision" immediately after being informed of the flyers yesterday morning.
"The military police were there to maintain order. How could they distribute unrelated flyers?" Wang said.
The basic guidelines stated that bulky backpacks, weapons, megaphones, balloons, signs, flyers or flags unrelated to the celebrations would not be allowed at the scene.
Wang said he had requested that these guidelines be respected to the letter.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
The Thai government on Friday announced that Taiwanese would be allowed to stay in the country for up to 60 days per entry, under the Southeast Asian country’s visa-free program starting from today. Taiwan is among 93 countries included in the Thai visa-waiver program, which has been expanded from 57 countries, with the visa-exempt entry extended from 30 to 60 days. After taking office last year, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to grant more visa waivers to foreign travelers as part of efforts to stimulate tourism. The expanded visa-waiver program was on Friday signed by Thai Minister of the Interior Anutin
BAIL APPEALS: The former vice premier was ordered to be held incommunicado despite twice being granted bail and paying a total of NT$12 million in bond The Taoyuan District Court yesterday ordered the detention of former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who is being investigated for alleged corruption while serving as Taoyuan mayor from December 2014 to December 2022, and that he be held incommunicado. The court made the ruling during a bail hearing after prosecutors appealed its bail ruling twice. Cheng on Saturday was released after posting bail of NT$5 million (US$153,818). However, after prosecutors lodged an appeal, the High Court on Monday revoked the original ruling and ordered the Taoyuan District Court to hold another bail hearing. On Tuesday, the district court granted bail to Cheng a second
PEACE AND SECURITY: China’s military ambitions present ‘the greatest strategic challenge to Japan and the world, Japan’s annual defense white paper said yesterday Japan yesterday warned that China risked escalating tensions with Taiwan with an increase in military exercises that appeared aimed in part at readying Beijing’s forces for a possible invasion. Japan’s annual assessment of security threats, including those posed by China, North Korea and Russia, comes as Taiwan closely monitors Chinese People’s Liberation Army air and sea exercises, including one with the Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. The drills are the latest in a series including maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait last year that a senior US general said would be key to any invasion. “Because of that increase in military activity,
HAN KUANG: The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers said The armed forces would for the first time test new rules of engagement (ROE) at this month’s annual Han Kuang exercises, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday. The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers told a news conference in Taipei. ROE cards would be issued to select combat troops to test their ability to function without tight control, they said. The most recent edition of the rules was published last year, they said. One of the cards’ two templates identifies enemy targets that soldiers