A group of activists demonstrated at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday to protest what they called Washington’s high-handed attitude in forcing Taiwan to open its doors to US beef containing residues of the leanness-enhancing drug ractopamine.
The protest was organized by several civic groups, including the National Alliance for Food Safety and Citizen Congress Watch.
The Legislative Yuan is scheduled to vote next week on a package of amendments to the Act Governing Food Sanitation (食品衛生管理法) that would pave the way for the entry under strict conditions of US beef containing residues of the currently banned drug.
Photo: Chen Ping-hung, Taipei Times
The activists sang ballads, performed skits and chanted slogans to highlight their cause.
In one skit, activists acted as US President Barack Obama and AIT Director William Stanton, forcing Taiwanese people to eat US beef contaminated with ractopamine, a drug that is banned in Taiwan and dozens of other countries because of health concerns.
Chen Man-li (陳曼麗), president of the Homemakers United Foundation, a key member of a national alliance for food safety, described the US as one of Taiwan’s allies in the international community.
“Therefore, it should not be coercing Taiwan to import its ractopamine-contaminated beef, putting our people’s health at risk,” Chen said.
Even though Taiwan is an “underdog” in global society, it should not be forced to seek international cooperation at the expense of its people’s health, Chen added.
Cheng Hsiu-chuan (鄭秀娟), head of the Wenshan Community College in Taipei, said the US traditionally regards Taiwan as a friend.
“It should not stray from that tradition by forcing Taiwan to import its drug-tainted beef. We should fight against such a move to win respect. Otherwise, we could be forced to compromise on more things or accept even more humiliating terms in the future,” Cheng said.
Police officers were mobilized to keep the protesters away from the AIT’s main entrance.
The AIT did not send any officials to meet the demonstrators.
The protest lasted for about 15 minutes and ended peacefully.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
A BETRAYAL? It is none of the ministry’s business if those entertainers love China, but ‘you cannot agree to wipe out your own country,’ the MAC minister said Taiwanese entertainers in China would have their Taiwanese citizenship revoked if they are holding Chinese citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. Several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑) and Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜), earlier this month on their Weibo (微博) accounts shared a picture saying that Taiwan would be “returned” to China, with tags such as “Taiwan, Province of China” or “Adhere to the ‘one China’ principle.” The MAC would investigate whether those Taiwanese entertainers have Chinese IDs and added that it would revoke their Taiwanese citizenship if they did, Chiu told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper