The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is planning a rally and “sleepover” at Taipei’s Liberty Square on the day before the Dec. 18 referendum vote in hopes of bolstering voter turnout, a party source said yesterday.
Two of next month’s four referendum questions were proposed by KMT members. KMT Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) spearheaded a referendum on the importation of pork containing traces of ractopamine, while former KMT chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) advanced one asking voters if they agree that referendums should be held on the same day as nationwide elections.
The other two referendums concern activating the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) and relocating a natural gas terminal to protect algal reefs off Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音).
Photo: CNA
In addition to a Dec. 12 rally on Taipei’s Ketagalan Boulevard by civic groups supporting the relocation of the natural gas terminal and restarting construction on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, the KMT is planning to hold an event on Dec. 17 at Liberty Square in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a source within the party said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Major party figures were expected to attend the Dec. 17 rally, including former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), and the event would last through the night until the morning when voting is to start, the source said, adding that KMT members would make one last call to increase voter turnout before heading to the polls themselves.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) would also lead party officials in staging a “sleepover” at the site, the source said.
While the Democratic Progressive Party has urged the public to vote “no” on all four referendum questions, a source in the KMT said the opposition party was confident that the two referendums put forth by KMT lawmakers would pass.
The KMT would be happy to see the algal reef referendum pass, and it would be a total win for the party if the nuclear power plant vote also went in its favor, the source said.
The KMT respects the opinions of its members regarding the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, the source said, adding that even if the referendum to activate the plant did not pass, the party would still consider it a win.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS