The office of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday it would hold a candlelight vigil at the Taipei Detention Center on Wednesday to mark Human Rights Day.
“We want to send a message to the world that [the quality of] Taiwan’s human rights, sovereignty, democracy, judiciary and justice have declined,” Ketagalan Foundation executive director Su Wang (王時思) said.
Wang said that as the Taipei Detention Center has become a new location for human rights violations, the foundation would hold its vigil outside the center on Wednesday. Organizers include the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and other local civic groups, including the Taiwan Society.
PHOTO: CNA
Wang said organizers did not intend to invite any politicians, but welcomed local and international media and private groups to participate. They hoped to attract about 200 people, she said.
While Taiwan has transitioned from authoritarianism to democracy, Wang said many international groups found it difficult to accept the many human rights violations that have occurred recently, which they see as threatening the nation’s sovereignty.
To allow international media to reach a better understanding of the situation in Taiwan, Wang said organizers would issue English press releases on Wednesday.
“Taiwan has elections, but elections do not guarantee genuine democracy,” she said. “Democracy can only be ensured when the government is of the people, by the people and for the people.”
Chen has been detained without charge since Nov. 12. He is suspected of money laundering, accepting bribes, forgery and embezzling NT$15 million (US$450,000) during his presidency.
Chen has accused the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration of “political persecution” and of waging a “political vendetta” against him to curry favor with China.
Many human rights groups, both local and international, have expressed concern over human rights violations since Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) visited Taipei early last month.
A substantial number of foreign experts on Taiwan have also expressed concern about the series of detentions of present and former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government officials and called for reform in two open letters.
They said the incarcerations gave the impression that KMT authorities “are using the judicial system to get even with members of the former DPP government.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by