The Taiwan Society, a new pro-independence group comprising more than 100 public societies, yesterday announced its official establishment. The society's leaders vowed to push a "second wave" of democratization and create a better political and cultural environment for Taiwan.
Former president Lee Teng-hui (
About 1,000 supporters, including many political heavyweights, attended the celebration and fundraising banquets. Presidential Office Secretary-General Mark Chen (陳唐山), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Shu Chih-chiang (蘇進強) yesterday showed up for the occasion.
"The establishment of the Taiwan Society does not aim to support specific people. It is for all the people of Taiwan," said Wu, who is also the chairman of the Northern Taiwan Society.
"Today is just a start. We will go on conducting many projects to rebuild people's confidence in Taiwan, and we hope that the society can become a power that stabilizes the turbulent political situation."
The Taiwan Society, which is based on the organizations of the Northern Taiwan Society, Southern Taiwan Society and Eastern Taiwan Society along with other many domestic and overseas pro-independence groups, aims to unify all the civic groups that are pro-Taiwan identity and promote political and cultural reform. Most importantly, the society hopes to fight to keep a pro-localization party in power in 2008, said Northern Taiwan Society secretary-general Chet Yang (
Yang said that the Taiwan Society will hold a series of activities to promote the society's goals, and that hopefully it would attract more young people to join in its activities.
Meanwhile, at the ceremony, Mark Chen confirmed that President Chen Shui-bian (
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau’s (劉德華) concert in Taipei tonight has been cancelled due to Typhoon Kong-rei and is to be held at noon on Saturday instead, the concert organizer SuperDome said in a statement this afternoon. Tonight’s concert at Taipei Arena was to be the first of four consecutive nightly performances by Lau in Taipei, but it was called off at the request of Taipei Metro, the operator of the venue, due to the weather, said the organizer. Taipei Metro said the concert was cancelled out of consideration for the audience’s safety. The decision disappointed a number of Lau’s fans who had
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Commuters in Taipei picked their way through debris and navigated disrupted transit schedules this morning on their way to work and school, as the city was still working to clear the streets in the aftermath of Typhoon Kong-rey. By 11pm yesterday, there were estimated 2,000 trees down in the city, as well as 390 reports of infrastructure damage, 318 reports of building damage and 307 reports of fallen signs, the Taipei Public Works Department said. Workers were mobilized late last night to clear the debris as soon as possible, the department said. However, as of this morning, many people were leaving messages
A Canadian dental assistant was recently indicted by prosecutors after she was caught in August trying to smuggle 32kg of marijuana into Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Wednesday. The 30-year-old was arrested on Aug. 4 after arriving on a flight to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Chang Tsung-lung (張驄瀧), a squad chief in the Aviation Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters. Customs officials noticed irregularities when the woman’s two suitcases passed through X-ray baggage scanners, Chang said. Upon searching them, officers discovered 32.61kg of marijuana, which local media outlets estimated to have a market value of more than NT$50 million (US$1.56
RSS