Taiwan independence advocates protested in Taipei yesterday, accusing leading Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members of collaborating with China to destroy Taiwan from within.
Led by the Taiwan Republic Office group, protesters carried placards and shouted slogans outside the TVBS Media building in Neihu District (內湖), where the four candidates competing in the election for KMT chairperson were attending a televised policy debate yesterday afternoon.
Taiwan Republic Office director Chilly Chen (陳峻涵) criticized top KMT officials for “hanging on to the myth” of the so-called “1992 consensus” and the “one China” concept.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
He compared the KMT to a large termite nest, with the four candidates for chairperson competing to become the “termite queen.”
“All top figures in the KMT hold pro-China views, pandering to the Beijing government’s interests. Their ... words and actions are designed to tear apart Taiwan’s social cohesion and subvert our national unity,” Chen said.
Taiwan Republic Office member Lai Fu-jung (賴富榮) said that KMT members are like termites because they are eating away at the national and cultural identities of Taiwanese, which has serious consequences for the armed forces and their duty to safeguard Taiwan’s national sovereignty.
The protesters shouted slogans as each of the four KMT candidates arrived, namely incumbent KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), former Changhua County commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) and Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中).
Chang created a minor disturbance when he stopped to respond to the protesters, giving a thumbs-down sign. Police officers moved quickly to prevent a confrontation between the two groups.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS