The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday celebrated the 22nd anniversary of its founding with a low-key get-together and a grassroots approach.
The theme of the celebration “Taiwan Cannot Be Without You,” started off with a fun fair held at Taipei’s Yuanshan Park in the afternoon and an informal rally held at Taipei’s Zhongshan Soccer Stadium last night.
Addressing the crowd, DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said the nation needs a strong DPP to supervise the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government, adding that DPP legislators would continue to keep the government and its China-leaning policies in check.
PHOTO: CNA
“Taiwan’s sovereign status has been in danger under the KMT administration and its China-leaning policies have become a nightmare,” Tsai said. “The DPP’s mission is to lead the public to defend Taiwan’s sovereign status.”
Tsai added that the DPP must seek strength from the public and transform itself into a “reasonable, assertive and practical party.”
The party’s 22nd anniversary was overshadowed by the alleged money laundering case surrounding one of its former chairmen — former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Prosecutors are investigating whether any portion of Chen’s “state affairs fund” had been wired to the overseas bank accounts of his family members during his eight-year presidency. Chen has claimed his innocence, insisting that funds from the “state affairs fund” were used for six secret diplomatic missions and that none of the money lined his own pocket.
While calling on supporters to view the case reasonably, Tsai also called on judicial agencies to maintain their independence and not politicize the case.
Chen did not take part in the party’s anniversary celebration in Taipei yesterday. Instead, he was in his hometown in Tainan County meeting with local supporters.
Chen started off his speech wishing the DPP a happy 22nd anniversary. He then condemned the KMT and prosecutors for oppressing him and said he could be sent to jail by prosecutors soon.
“This could be the last time I meet with you before the KMT and prosecutors send me to Tucheng Detention Center,” Chen said.
Saying that his case was not a purely judicial case but had become political persecution, Chen said that in service to the ideal of Taiwanese independence he was willing to be the first political prisoner under the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MO YAN-CHIH
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
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
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
RSS