The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday held the first of two forums with pro-localization Hong Kong politicians, with party aides discussing common challenges and problems.
“We hope to use this opportunity to link together the democratic energy in Hong Kong and Taiwan,” NPP Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said. “We invited them here, because it is difficult for NPP lawmakers to gain entrance to Hong Kong.”
Huang has been denied Hong Kong visas repeatedly following his involvement in the Sunflower movement, with NPP Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) most recently being denied entry in October last year.
This weekend’s forums involving the NPP and Hong Kong lawmakers Edward Yiu (姚松炎), Nathan Law (羅冠聰) and Eddie Chu (朱凱迪), along with their aides, have drawn attention due to the common roots in social movements in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Yesterday’s forum of party aides focused on common challenges of political transition and the legacy and influence of undemocratic symbols and strictures.
“Hong Kong has freedom but is not a democracy, and its electoral system in particular seems absurd to us now. However, if we go back 30 or 40 years, Taiwan had many similar issues,” said Yang Ching-fu (楊清富), an aide to NPP Legislator Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸).
NPP aide Chien Chia-yu (簡嘉佑) compared the recent controversy over the wording of the Hong Kong Legislative Council’s oath to the reluctance of some pan-green politicians to sing the Republic of China national anthem.
Edward Yiu was one of several Hong Kong lawmakers who altered their oaths of office leading to legal challenges that prevented them from taking office. He appended a promise to protect Hong Kong’s institutions and to fight for full elections.
Some pan-green politicians decline to sing lyrics referring to “party” in the national anthem, citing its past as the official party song of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
A second forum between Hong Kong and NPP Legislators is scheduled for this morning at the Songjiang 101 International Convention Center.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by