A group of pro-Taiwanese independence organizations yesterday urged President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to have courage and get tough in dealing with international affairs.
Chilly Chen (陳峻涵), office director of the 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign and the event’s main organizer, said that China has been making belligerent moves in recent weeks, with warplane flying close to Taiwan’s territory and other military “threats” infringing upon the nation’s sovereignty, while attempting to suppress the voice of Tsai’s government and that of Taiwanese in the international community.
“We are here to tell Tsai that the public support her,” Chen said.
“We want Tsai to have courage and to get tough. She must not fear the bullying and threats by China,” he said.
“In the event of China making a military incursion into Taiwan, we would ask Tsai to declare independence,” Chen said.
“In that situation, Taiwanese and our armed forces will rally to fight against a Chinese invasion and other nations will come to our aid,” he said.
The groups performed a skit on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building, waving flags promoting Taiwanese patriotism.
A woman in the group was play-acting as Tsai in her role as the nation’s commander-in-chief, wearing a Tsai mask, a flak jacket and an army helmet, which was what the president wore while inspecting military drills this year.
Standing on top of a wooden stand, the woman was hoisted above the crowd by the other participants to lead cheers and slogans advocating independence.
“The skit was meant to show that the President Tsai character is held in high regard by Taiwanese to lead the nation,” Chen said.
“We want to show that Tsai has the support of the majority of Taiwanese when she builds official ties with the US, resists military threats from China and works toward making Taiwan an independent, sovereign nation,” he said.
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)
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,
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