Some 20 members of the Committee for Action for Labor Legislation (工人立法行動委員會) went to the Legislative Yuan yesterday to demand that two DPP legislators who had accused organizers of a workers' demonstration of "working for China" to prove their accusations or resign.
"The two legislators abused their rights of free speech. They just want to distract attention from the government's labor policies," said Ho Yian-tang (
DPP legislators Lee Ming-hsien (
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
They alleged that one of the committee's founders, Cheng Tsun-chi (
They also said that the secretary-general of the Chinese Federation of Labor, Wang Juan-ping (王娟萍), is close to the Chinese government, citing her attendance at Chinese national day celebrations in Beijing on Oct 1.
The protesters did not succeed in confronting the two legislators. But DPP legislative whip Wang Tuoh (王拓) promised that he would urge the two to provide explanations for their comments within three days.
Later yesterday, the two legislators, speaking to reporters at the Legislative Yuan, reiterated their worries that Taiwanese workers "may be being manipulated by anti-Taiwan forces."
"We received the information from our friends doing business in China, but we can't release their names," Lee Ming-hsien told reporters.
Ho said that they would continue to protest until the two legislators offer a reasonable explanation.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
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