People should respect the sacrifices and accomplishments made by pioneers of Taiwan’s democracy movement, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday, as he defended Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊) against criticism by Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
Ko said in an interview on Thursday that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had ruled Kaohsiung for nearly two decades, but as people there became disaffected with its performance, the DPP lost in the mayoral election last year.
“Chen Chu is responsible for that defeat,” he added.
Photo: CNA
“She [Chen] had spent time in prison in her younger days, but that does not mean she can commit unlawful acts later in life,” Ko said.
Chen was imprisoned for six-and-a-half years for her involvement in the Kaohsiung Incident, a demonstration organized by democracy campaigners and Formosa Magazine on Dec. 10, 1979, to commemorate Human Rights Day that turned violent and led to the arrest of virtually all well-known opposition leaders.
“Chen Chu had wrecked Taiwan’s democracy. She had ruined half of the achievements of the 30 years of Taiwan’s democratic movement,” Ko added.
Lauding Chen’s hardships and contributions to the struggle for democracy, Su said: “If people do not know history, they should at least have respect for the pioneers of Taiwan’s democratic movement.”
“Taiwanese society today has freedom and democracy, because of the sacrifices and arduous struggles by many people,” he added.
Looking at the Kaohsiung Incident trials, Su said that Chen faced a possible death sentence by the military court, “but she was defiant, and was ready to sacrifice herself for Taiwan’s freedom and democracy.”
Ko’s remarks have gone beyond political discourse and had became vicious verbal bullying, DPP spokeswoman Hsueh Cheng-yi (薛呈懿) said, demanding that Ko apologize and take back his words.
While his comments about Chen have riled many DPP figures, who demanded that he apologize, Ko refused, saying: “I don’t care.”
He reiterated that in his opinion Chen was the main reason the DPP lost the Kaohsiung mayoral election last year and called on the DPP to face the issue honestly.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
RSS