Cheering "Say yes Taiwan, say no to China," roughly 5,000 advocates of Taiwan independence yesterday marched to the Presidential Office, calling for support from Taiwanese people worldwide for President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the establishment of the Republic of Taiwan.
On the first anniversary of the DPP victory in the 2000 presidential election, a large-scale parade was staged by the "Taiwan Nation Stands Up Coalition," composed of a number of pro-Taiwan independence groups. The World Taiwanese Congress, an organization founded in December by overseas Taiwanese from different countries who also hold a pro-independence stance, also participated in the march.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Before the event started, some also declared their pro-independence position by obtaining a "Republic of Taiwan" passport.
Carrying DPP flags and signboards reading "support Taiwan independence," those who joined the march blamed opposition parties for having caused chaos in society by thinking purely of their parties' interest. The march called for a joint effort by all Taiwanese people to empower the country.
"We are here to wake these people [who are pro-unification] who do not love Taiwan," said Stephen Lee (李勝雄), secretary-general of the World United Formosans for Independence (台獨建國聯盟) and general director of the march.
"We must unify to fight the PRC that encroaches on Taiwan," Lee added.
"There is still a long way to go before the establishment of the Republic of Taiwan. We should be patient and give Chen's government more time," appealed another leader of the event to the crowd.
Chen has been blasted for not insisting on the pro-independence stance of his party since taking over the presidency.
Yao Chia-wen (
Apart from Yao, two other senior advisers to the president, Lee Chen-yuan (李鎮源) and Ku Kuan-min (辜寬敏), participated in yesterday's event. National policy adviser to the president Huang Hua (黃華), Wu Shu-min (吳樹民) and Alice King (金美齡) were also present. King has caused controversy since defending the comic book On Taiwan and denying that she is an official of the ROC.
King candidly cast the ROC as "extinct" and for this, yesterday was regarded as a star by Taiwan independence supporters. Many participants swarmed toward King to shake her hand or to have their picture taken with her.
Some DPP lawmakers also joined the march.
The only Cabinet member to show up was Huang Tsung-le (黃宗樂), chairman of the Fair Trade Commission, but he didn't join the crowd. Previously, Huang and other Cabinet members were heavily criticized by opposition parties who said they had failed to remain neutral by participating in an anti-nuclear demonstration.
Chen Chin-chiung (陳金) and Cheng Kai-jen (鄭凱仁), participants in the event, blasted opposition parties, saying they had handicapped the Cabinet because they cannot face their failure in the last presidential election.
"Besides, pro-unification politicians brainwashed by the KMT cling to China because they expect benefits given by China," Cheng said.
The two also agreed with King. "The ROC simply doesn't exist anymore. Everybody [from the international community] has recognized the island as Taiwan," Chen said. "We should not deceive ourselves. A country's name is not so sacred that it cannot be changed."
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
SOLUTIONS NEEDED: Taiwan must attract about 400,000 to 500,000 skilled foreign workers due to population decline, the minister of economic affairs said in Washington President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration is considering a plan to import labor to deal with an impending shortage of engineers and other highly skilled workers, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said in Washington on Tuesday. Kuo was leading a delegation attending the SelectUSA Investment Summit. Taiwan must attract about 400,000 to 500,000 skilled foreign workers for high-end manufacturing jobs by 2040, he said. Ministry of Economic Affairs officials are still calculating the precise number of workers that are needed, as it works on loosening immigration restrictions and creating incentives, Kuo said. Taiwanese firms operating factories in the US and other countries would