President Chen Shui-bian (
Yesterday would have been Lei's 110th birthday.
As the nation commemorates the legacy of Lei Chen (雷震), Chen said the public must ponder what other hurdles must be overcome on the country's road to democracy.
Chen outlined how he saw the obstacles; to rewrite the Constitution which he described as outdated; to hold a referendum which he said is the materialization of direct democracy; and freedom of speech, which he said has been abused by the media.
Chen made the remarks while addressing the first of a series of forums held to discuss the achievements of Lei in Taipei yesterday afternoon. Yesterday's forum focused on Lei's views on the constitutional system. The events are being organized by Academia Historica, the Lei Chen Democracy Human Rights Foundation and the Compensation Foundation for Improper Verdicts.
Lei, a founder and publisher of the Free China journal, was arrested on Sept. 4, 1960, on treason charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison at the behest of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) because of the journal's pro-democracy stance. The magazine, which was launched in 1950, was then closed.
Declassified documents show that the Taiwan Garrison Command proposed drastic measures to stop the publication of the journal. Six hours before the verdict was handed down, Chiang issued an order that Lei's sentence should not be less than 10 years, and that the first ruling may not be changed on appeal.
During his 10 years in jail, Lei wrote a 4-million-word memoir chronicling his life and thoughts on democracy. However, the memoir and most government documents regarding the "Lei Chen incident" have disappeared or were destroyed.
During Chen's tenure as a lawmaker, he requested a government investigation into the incident and requested compensation from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration, but to no avail.
After being elected president in 2000, Chen ordered the Ministry of National Defense in February 2002 to try to recover Lei's memoirs and related government documents.
Lei Mei-lin (雷美琳), Lei Chen's eldest daughter, who returned from the US to attend yesterday's event, described her late father as a "far-sighted politician" who deserved a great deal of respect. She also cited journalist Xiang Yang (向陽) who wrote that her father was "as brave as a lion, as steadfast as a camel and as innocent as a child."
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS