The European Federation of Taiwanese Associations on Sunday expressed its support for Taiwan's bid to join the UN under the name "Taiwan"
In a statement at the conclusion of a three-day meeting of the federation held in Fiuggi, near Rome, the Taiwanese expatriates said that they supported the Democratic Progressive Party administration's efforts to seek UN entry.
They said that the nation's future should be determined by Taiwanese as a whole and not by any party or individual.
The statement also called for the administration to strengthen national security so that Taiwan can become not only a "silicon island" but also an "island of cultures and humanities."
It called on the government to champion "transitional justice" and declassify documents from the White Terror era between 1947 and 1960 to let the public know the truth about those "devastating years."
On the diplomatic front, the statement urged the government to help private groups in Taiwan cooperate with international NGOs to enable Taiwan to gain a higher degree of recognition in the international community.
"For the administration to use the excuse of `China's suppression' for its failure ... would be unacceptable," the statement said.
More than 150 Taiwanese expatriates from around Europe attended the meeting, which was held from Friday to Sunday with the theme "Healthy Taiwan, Normal Country."
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