■ Cross-strait ties
DPP seeks united front
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday that its legislative caucus will seek the support of other parties for its March 26 protest against China's proposed "anti-secession" law. DPP caucus whip Lai Ching-teh (賴清德) told a press conference at the Legislative Yuan yesterday that given the importance of the rally, caucus members would approach other lawmakers to sign a joint declaration of support for the parade. "The March 26 parade is to be the first time in Taiwan's history that we will have marched in response to China. Everyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnic group, or party should unite together," Lai said. He said the caucus also plans to propose that the legislature invite all party leaders to a summit where they can come up with a joint reaction to the anti-secession law.
■ Travel
Visa-free tourists in Japan
Japan's visa waiver for tourists from Taiwan during the Aichi World Exposition came into force yesterday, with the arrival of 151 Taiwanese visitors in Hokkaido. They were the first group of Taiwanese tourists to enjoy the visa-free privilege. Japanese public television channel NHK footage showed an arriving tourist who said the people of Taiwan generally welcome the visa waiver. A Taiwanese tour guide told an NHK reporter that he believes the visa-free privilege will help boost the number of Taiwanese visitors to Japan by 20 percent to 30 percent this year. More than 1 million Taiwanese visited Japan last year.
■ Politics
KMT marks death of Sun
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's (孫逸仙) death, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will hold an exhibition of artifacts relating to Sun in the party's headquarters starting today. The exhibition, located in the main lobby, will include historical documents from Sun's time, a map of the National Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing and Sun's clothing. In a statement issued by the party yesterday, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) used the anniversary of Sun's death to urge unity under the banner of the Republic of China and to criticize pro-independence factions. "Today, we remember the anniversary of Sun's death while facing escalated tensions across the Taiwan Strait and threats to the safety of Taiwan. More now than ever, we must unite [under Sun's wishes for] `peace, struggle, and save Taiwan,'" Lien's statement yesterday. Sun died in Beijing on March 12, 1925.
■ Government
Chen talks about new agency
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that he expects the proposed national communication commission (NCC) would be "fair, independent and just" when it begins operations. Chen made the remarks when receiving a group of foreign visitors who are attending an international seminar in Taipei focusing on national telecommunication and broadcasting policies. The Cabinet has approved draft amendments to abolish the Government Information Office and replace it with the commission. If the proposed amendments are approved by the legislature, the NCC would be an independent entity and the sole supervisory body of the telecommunications and media industries. The major tasks facing the proposed commission include promoting fair competition, enhancement of related industries' national competitiveness and safeguarding consumers' rights, the president told his visitors.
■ Lawyers' group slams China
The Taiwan Bar Association issued a public statement yesterday calling for China to pull back on its enactment of an "anti-secession" law targeting Taiwan "before it's too late." The association, which includes some 4,000 lawyers practicing in Taiwan, urged the Chinese regime not to enact the proposed law to avoid undermining an atmosphere that is conducive to accelerating cross-strait engagement and shun actions that will lead both sides of the strait to a mutually destructive doomsday. The Taiwanese lawyers said that after failing to push its "pro-unification, anti-independence" scheme, Beijing authorized its State Council and Central Military Commission to take Taiwan by "non-peaceful means" if it thinks Taiwan is making moves toward independence. This pre-emptive plot will change the cross-strait status quo unilaterally and also hurts the feelings of the people of Taiwan, the statement says, adding that the law also infringes upon the Taiwanese people's rights to survival and autonomy.
■ Diplomacy
Minnesota governor invited
An official of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago has invited Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty to visit Taiwan during his trip to China and Hong Kong later this year. Shao Ping-yun (邵平雲), an information official at the Chicago office, made the invitation in a letter he sent to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the largest newspaper in Minnesota. Pawlenty is scheduled to lead a delegation to visit China and Hong Kong in November to inspect the information technology (IT) industry there. Noting that Taiwan excels in the IT industry, Shao urged the governor to include Taiwan in his trip.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
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