Social activists yesterday showed their approval of Chen Shui-bian (
Basing their opinion on Chen's performance as Taipei City mayor, the activists said they were confident that Chen could do a much better job than the KMT.
Social activists in organizations representing labor, women, Aborigines and earthquake victims, jointly affirmed their belief in the future new government yesterday.
"The voice of the masses will be listened to more in the future," said Liglove Awu (
Chen's victory in the presidential race could act as a stimulus to the nascent struggle of Taiwan's Aboriginal population for more autonomy.
Last September Chen signed a bilateral agreement, or "New Partnership" document, with 11 representatives from Aboriginal ethnic groups. In the agreement, Chen recognized many innate privileges that should be enjoyed by Aborigines, such as local autonomy and the native ownership of land.
"We signed this agreement on the basis of equality and a consensus to pursue autonomy," said Omi Wilang (
Peng Yen-wen (
Peng said Chen had implemented solid women's policies during his term as Taipei Mayor.
"His experience coordinating with social groups in Taipei is applicable nationwide," Peng said.
Participation by women in politics has been one of Chen's policy platforms. Peng said Chen promised a minimum 25 percent female recruitment rate in the Cabinet, the Council of Grand Justices, the Control Yuan and the Examination Yuan.
"All of these promises should be due [for implementation] soon after Chen's inauguration," Peng said.
High expectations have also been found among labor groups. On March 11, Chen promised the Committee of Action for the Labor Legislature (CALL, 工人立法行動委員會) to implement labor changes by 2002, and reduce working hours from the existing 48 hours per week to 40 hours.
"Chen seldom overlooked his promised labor policies in his term as Taipei Mayor. We expect and believe he will do a better job than the present government," said the secretary-general of the Taiwan Labour Front, Kuo Kuo-wen (
The prospective candidate for Premier, Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh (
"Lee knows all the problems of reconstruction much better than the government," said Peng Sheng-chin (
As eight basketball-playing international students appealed to the Taiwanese basketball industry after they were excluded from the draft of an upcoming new league merging the P.League+ and the T1 League, the new league’s preparatory committee spokesperson Chang Shu-jen (張樹人) yesterday said the committee would tomorrow discuss the supplementary measures and whether the international students can join the draft. The students on Tuesday called for support on their right to play in the upcoming new league, after a merger involving the two leagues impacted their eligibility for the draft. The international players from the University Basketball Association (UBA), led by first pick prospect
Some foreign companies are considering moving Taiwanese employees out of China after Beijing said it could impose the death penalty on “die-hard” Taiwanese independence advocates, four people familiar with the matter said. The new guidelines have caused some Taiwanese expatriates and foreign multinationals operating in China to scramble to assess their legal risks and exposure, said the people, who include a lawyer and two executives with direct knowledge of the discussions. “Several companies have come to us to assess the risks to their personnel,” said the lawyer, James Zimmerman, a Beijing-based partner at the Perkins Coie law firm. He declined to identify
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,
PROPOSAL: The submarines, the first of which would enter into production in 2026, would fire Harpoon missiles and feature better combat systems than the ‘Hai Kun’ The Ministry of National Defense (MND) has proposed a NT$284 billion (US$8.75 billion) plan to build seven attack submarines using an improved design based on the completed Hai Kun (海鯤), or “Narwhal,” prototype submarine, a source with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The plan — which has the support of high-ranking officials — falls under the ministry’s annual budget proposal that is to be submitted to the Executive Yuan, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The new submarines are designed to fire heavy torpedoes and Harpoon missiles, while the Hai Kun is only capable of firing heavy torpedoes, and