Two Taiwanese independence supporters plan to hand-paint a 30.5m long mural on the wall of a company in Corvallis, Oregon, in an effort to increase awareness in the US that Taiwan is an independent country.
According to Taiwanese painter Chao Tsung-song (趙宗宋), the idea of a mural dedicated to Taiwanese independence was originally proposed by David Lin (林銘新), a Taiwanese businessman who owns Corvallis Micro Technology.
“I met Lin during the run-up to the presidential election this year, and he mentioned wanting to decorate the wall of his company with a mural promoting Taiwanese independence so more US citizens would support us,” Chao said.
Photo: Chang Ling-chu, Taipei Times
As Corvallis Micro Technology is located off Interstate No. 5 (I-5), Lin hoped the strategic location of the mural would help by informing Americans driving past that Taiwan is an independent country, Chao said.
Despite Chao’s interest in the project, he found it difficult to persuade other Taiwanese painters to take part in the endeavor.
It was at that point that Chao turned to a relative, Lucy Yueh-chien Lu (盧月鉛), who emigrated to Canada more than a decade ago. She agreed to take part and the two of them started preparations to paint the mural.
However, the subject matter of the work meant that painters looking to develop a career in China were “unable” to take part, Lu said.
In addition, because the mural was being painted on the outside of a building, which meant that the artists had to use mechanical lifts to reach higher levels, elderly artists were excluded from the project, she said.
“Currently Chao and I are the only artists working on the project,” Lu said, adding that they plan to finish the mural at the end of next month, before the autumn rainy season sets in. They are also hoping to elicit the aid of locals in the coloring of the work.
The mural is to be divided into two parts, one featuring Taipei 101, the Divine Tree (神木) on Ali-shan (阿里山), Jade Mountain and Taiwan’s indigenous flora and fauna.
Tibetan independence will be the subject of the other part of the mural.
Tibet is an issue of interest to many Westerners and by focusing on Tibetan independence the mural is more likely to attract the attention of US citizens and thereby better promote Taiwanese independence, Lu said.
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we