A group of about 250 Taiwanese on Saturday marched along the streets of New York City calling for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN, which met for its general assembly on Tuesday last week.
The Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York, Taiwanese American Association of New York and Keep Taiwan Free, a grassroots movement, organized this year’s “Keep Taiwan Free March & Rally,” which was suspended for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the march, a plane pulling a banner that read “Taiwan in UN now” flew above the Hudson River.
Photo: CNA
Participants gathered outside the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China and marched along West 42nd Street before reaching Union Square, traversing the 4.5km route in about 1.5 hours.
China launched a series of live-fire exercises and economic sanctions against Taiwan following US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last month, event organizer Wu Cheng-chun (吳丞峻) said.
The organizers chose the Chinese consulate as the starting point of the march to express their opposition to Beijing’s aggression toward Taiwan, he said, adding that they hoped walking through the downtown area of Manhattan would attract more attention.
At Union Square, the group played songs familiar to Taiwanese, including Yearning for Spring (望春風), a classic Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) song, and Island’s Sunrise (島嶼天光), a song that has become one of the anthems of Taiwanese protest movements.
Visiting Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) and New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) joined the march, chanting slogans such as “Keep Taiwan free,” “UN for Taiwan” and “Taiwan is Taiwan.”
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York Director James Lee (李光章) and foreign representatives of allied nations also gave speeches at Union Square.
While leaders from around the world gather in New York to find solutions to complicated challenges the world is facing, “Taiwan’s voice should be heard,” Lee said.
“We sent a clear message to the world through today’s march — it is now time for Taiwan to join the UN,” he said.
Belizean Ambassador to the UN Carlos Fuller said that Belize, a diplomatic ally of Taiwan, “will always stay with you [Taiwan] and fight with you to ensure your voice is heard.”
Taiwan lost its seat at the UN in 1971 when the global body recognized the People’s Republic of China as the sole representative of China, and has since been excluded from its special agencies.
‘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 High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS