Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday urged the public to join the campaigns opposing an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China and calling for abolishing the Referendum Review Committee, saying an ECFA referendum would be a watershed in Taiwan’s democracy and a way to prevent Taiwan from being bartered away.
Describing the proposed accord as a “strategic arrangement conspired by the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] and Chinese Communist Party [CCP] for the annexation of Taiwan,” Lee said the two parties sought to use the trade pact to pave the way for ultimate unification with China.
“The way the government pushes the planned accord is very much like that of an authoritarian regime,” he said in a speech at an ECFA forum organized by the Taiwan Advocates, founded by Lee. “It turns a deaf ear to people’s concerns and the Referendum Review Committee joins in the chorus of the administration that submits to China.”
Calling for an immediate revision to the Referendum Act (公民投票法), Lee yesterday also signed the petition initiated by the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) to propose another referendum on the ECFA after the first one was recently rejected by the Referendum Review Committee.
Lee said President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration likes to say it cares for the people’s plight, but it seemed to him that the more miserable the people, the happier the Ma administration.
“I never saw such a government and national leaders,” he said. “The Taiwanese people elected a president who does not love Taiwan. It is pathetic to see him love China more than he loves this land.”
Lee said the planned cross-strait deal was a political and economic arrangement for the future of Taiwan. The nation’s sovereignty should lie in the hands of its 23 million people, and not the KMT, the CCP or the US, he said.
Taiwan will follow in the footsteps of Hong Kong and see its economic bubble burst if the Ma administration continues to ignore the impact of the free flow of manpower, capital, goods, technology and services across the Taiwan Strait, he said.
If Taiwanese do not come out and oppose the proposed pact, the international community will think the Taiwanese public is allowing the Ma administration to pursue its agenda this way, he said, warning that if the KMT and CCP manage to sign a peace treaty in the future, they will realize their goal of making Taiwan part of China.
“If the Taiwanese people don’t strive for their right to speak now, they will forever be taken advantage of by the KMT government, which seeks to eventually sell out Taiwan,” he said. “The ECFA issues is a watershed of deepening Taiwan’s democracy and determining our own future.”
Also at the forum, Chen Ming-siang (陳銘祥), a public administration professor at Tamkang University, said a referendum would be an effective way to compensate for the deficiency of the representation system, which he said was flawed because the minority has a hard time electing someone representing their interests.
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
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
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