Members of 60 civic organizations on Friday issued a statement calling for a pro-unification group linked to a shooting at a church in California last week to be labeled a terrorist organization.
Five members of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church congregation were injured and one killed when a man who has been linked to the Las Vegas branch of the China-based Chinese for Peaceful Unification — a group advocating for the unification of Taiwan and China — entered a meeting of Geneva Presbyterian Church members and allegedly began shooting.
A group of 60 organizations led by the Asia-Pacific Liberal Women Association issued the statement urging Taiwanese around the world to push their respective governments to label Chinese for Peaceful Unification a terrorist organization.
Photo: CNA
The statement urged the central government to immediately investigate groups within Taiwan believed to have links to the organization, and to “deal with them strictly” in accordance with the National Security Act (國家安全法).
“We must keep Taiwanese safe and prevent the spread of hatred,” the statement said.
“This shooting stemmed from the Chinese Communist Party repeatedly provoking hatred toward the Taiwanese people within Taiwan and among Chinese communities globally,” it added.
China is using the unification group to attempt to intimidate Taiwanese around the world, and to prevent Taiwanese from pursuing freedom and democracy, it said.
Chinese for Peaceful Unification — which shooting suspect David Wenwei Chou (周文偉), 68, was a reportedly member of — was identified by the US Department of State as being under the administration of the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, the statement said, adding that this means the organization is a threat to Taiwanese and should be labeled as such.
“We mourn the loss of Dr John Cheng (鄭達志) to this shooting, and we hope Taiwanese everywhere can unite at this difficult time to protect Taiwan’s freedoms for the next generation,” it said.
The statement also raised concerns over the High Court’s acquittal of New Party spokesman Wang Ping-chung (王炳忠) on espionage charges, asking how the court could have recognized Wang’s involvment in organizations with ties to the Chinese government without deeming him a national security threat.
“If we just wait for another shooting to occur, if we just let these groups sow division within Taiwanese society, isn’t that a national security threat?” the statement asked.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS