Pro-independence groups are to launch a cooperation platform next year to provide momentum to the independence movement, which they said has been slighted by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who has vowed to maintain the cross-strait “status quo.”
Peter Wang (王獻極), convener of the 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign, said he and Taiwan People News chairman Chen Yung-hsing (陳永興) are organizing a pro-independence platform, which is to be launched with the participation of dozens of pro-localization groups, to pressure the Tsai administration and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on issues pertaining to Taiwanese independence.
“The Tsai administration has not responded to public calls to reject the so-called ‘1992 consensus’ and having Taiwan represented by an appropriate name in international events,” Wang said.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means. Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted he made up the term in 2000.
“Although pro-independence groups and the DPP government share the same view on the development of Taiwan, there is no burden on pro-independence groups to speed up the goal [of achieving independence], while the Tsai administration, due to the responsibility it carries, has to be slow,” he said.
The platform will lay the groundwork for the government to launch pro-localization policies, he said.
Wang started a campaign in 2002 to promote the use of “Taiwan” and drop the term “Chinese Taipei” in international and domestic events, which did not gain traction until the second year of campaigning, when it collected 200,000 signatures and won the support of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
The campaign succeeded in having Taipei’s Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall renamed to Liberty Square; the state-run oil refiner then known as Chinese Petroleum Corp rebranded as CPC Corp, Taiwan; and Chunghwa Post renamed to Taiwan Post, as well as the introduction of a new passport with the word “Taiwan” in Roman script on the cover.
“The voice of the public has to be united in a common cause to be heard by the government,” Wang said.
The initial consensus reached by the prospective platform members includes lowering referendum thresholds and halting the use of “Chinese Taipei” for Taiwanese organizations participating in international events, he added.
Ketagalan Institute president Chin Heng-wei (金恆煒) is to spearhead a plan to seek amendments to the Referendum Act (公民投票法) to pave the way for broader public discussion on national issues not limited to independence topics, Wang said.
While the groups’ priorities vary, with some advocating a proposal for a UN membership and others independence, lowering the threshold for referendums is one area that they all agree on, he added.
The campaign to promote the use of “Taiwan” instead of “Chinese Taipei” by national teams in international competitions, particularly the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is to be renewed, Wang said.
The platform will also collaborate with the DPP, the Taiwan Solidarity Union and the New Power Party to campaign for different causes, he added.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,