The more than 3,000 Taiwanese who died in the Allied forces’ raid on Taipei at the end of the World War II are to be commemorated on Saturday in front of the Presidential Office Building by a new pro-independence group.
Established in February, Jiawu Regime Change (甲午變天) group lists its position as “anti-China and anti-President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)” and its mission as advocating a new constitution, a new country and Taiwan’s bid for a UN seat.
“Jiawu” derives from the ancient Chinese system that used the 60 combinations of 10 Heavenly Stems (天干) and 12 Earthly Branches (地支) to denote days and years.
This year is the year of Jiawu.
National Dong Hua University professor Shih Cheng-feng (施正鋒), one of the group’s founders, said its members are cross-generational and experts in diverse areas.
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers Wei Yao-chien (魏耀乾), Chen Wan-chen (陳婉真) and Payen Talu (巴燕達魯) are among the founding members.
On Saturday, the group hopes to highlight that many parts of Taiwan’s history have never been taught in schools, Shih said.
Shih said the group was born out of frustration toward the DPP’s failure to advance the establishment of a new country, Shih said.
“We plan to organize events across the country to advocate our forgotten history; Taiwanese’s aspiration for their own constitution and own country with a new name, new flag and new national emblem; as well as our hope that Ma will step down,” Shih said.
More of an advocacy group, the organization would not seek to participate in elections, Shih said.
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