Legislators yesterday vowed solid support for Hong Kong while expatriates from Hong Kong called for better mechanisms for Hong Kongers applying for residency in Taiwan at the launch of the Taiwan Parliament Group for Hong Kong.
Taiwan Hong Kong Association director-general Sang Pu (桑普) thanked the legislature for standing up for human rights, calling on Taiwanese to continue paying attention to how Beijing implements Article 23 of the Basic Law, the territory’s new national security law that took effect last week.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷), who chairs the group, said that the group aims to continue to support Hong Kong and to remind Taiwanese to be more vigilant against authoritarianism.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Group deputy chair DPP Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) urged the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) to assist Hong Kongers as they face harsh and arbitrary treatment that undermines freedom and human rights.
How would the Hong Kong government implement Article 23 remains to be seen, but it is possible that the territory might once again fall into turmoil, he said.
The group hopes to be the “strongest supporter” for Hong Kong, and for everyone in Taiwan and Hong Kong who is fighting for democratic values, he said.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
The MAC has been adjusting related mechanisms to assist Hong Kongers, and would continue to work with government agencies and the private sector to help Hong Kongers in Taiwan integrate into Taiwanese society, MAC Deputy Minister Lee Li-jane (李麗珍) said.
Taiwan should cooperate with civic groups in drawing up and implementing preventive measures against Chinese infiltration, said Sky Fung (馮詔天), secretary-general of the Taiwan-based exile group Hong Kong Outlanders.
After Article 23 went into effect, it is foreseeable that Hong Kong protesters would face oppression, he said, calling on the government to allow these protesters to be able to relocate to Taiwan.
Separately, the Legislative Yuan yesterday launched the Republic of China-India Parliamentary Amity Association to foster deeper ties between Taiwan and India.
Taiwanese exports to India reached more than US$6 billion last year, an increase of 13 percent, as trade relations between the two nations grow closer, association chair Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋) said, adding that the trend is expected to continue.
India and Taiwan have complementary strengths, with the former boasting advantages in software and the latter in hardware, India Taipei Association Deputy Director-General Dhananjay Singh Yadav said.
India’s demographic dividend could help alleviate Taiwan’s worker shortage, he added.
India is an important partner under the government’s New Southbound Policy, and is working closely with Taiwan on the economic, cultural and technology front, Lo said.
The two nations are trustworthy partners in safeguarding common values such as democracy, freedom and human rights, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
RSS