Acknowledging concerns felt by some about cross-strait relations, President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen made the remarks while meeting with representatives of World Taiwanese, a businessmen's group, at the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon.
Noting the recent series of events including China's enactment of its "Anti-Secession" Law, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun's (江丙坤) trip to China and KMT Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) departure for Nanjing, Chen said that "some [people] have expressed concern to me in private that they are worried that there are some people within the opposition parties who are using cross-strait exchanges as chips in their political rivalry and who want to isolate and attack the government and allow the other side of the Strait to divide us."
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-TEH, TAIPEI TIMES
"Such anxiety is understandable," he said.
"In view of the incessant threats and challenges from the other side of the Strait, Taiwan must unite domestically. Taiwan would be put in a very disadvantageous position if we disperse our strength," Chen said. "All 23 million people in Taiwan should understand this concept, regardless of ethnicity or political stance."
"Compatriots must have confidence in the government and in Taiwan ... the government has a comprehensive plan to promote its cross-strait policy as well as control the situation across the Strait," he said.
Chen reiterated his sincerity in offering to work with opposition leaders toward political reconciliation and cooperation between the governing and opposition parties.
"Since both Chairmen Lien and [People First Party Chairman James] Soong (
Meanwhile, in reaction to the clashes at CKS International Airport yesterday between pan-green supporters and pro-China forces, Premier Frank Hsieh (
"What those people did was against the idea of democracy and definitely illegal," Hsieh said. "All illegal behavior will be investigated and people could face indictments because law enforcement officials collected evidence at the scene."
The premier also reminded politicians to be aware of potential violence among their supporters.
He commented on the airport clashes while he was being questioned by lawmakers during yesterday morning's legislative meeting.
The premier said that the democratic ideal is that differing voices have the right to be heard and that right should be protected under all circumstances.
"It is absolutely wrong to force anyone to accept your opinion by violence in any form," he said.
"I am sorry for what happened at the airport but I assure everybody that all those who violated the law will be properly punished, no matter what political parties they belong to," he said.
Hsieh urged the people to unite to fight against a minority who resort to violence to voice their views.
The biggest problem is not cross-strait relations, he said, "It is the hatred between supporters of different parties."
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
RSS