Two DPP city councilors questioned the true colors of Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
City councilors Duan Yi-kang (
In the lead up to the AFC Women's Championship, held from Dec. 4 to 11, Ma asked soccer fans not to bring the national flag to the games. That upset many Taiwanese, who brought the flags to games in protest.
At a press conference yesterday, fans who attended the games said it was unfair that Taiwanese weren't allowed to wave their national flag at a sporting event held in Taipei.
"In the stadium, policemen came over and forcefully tried to snatch away my flag," said one of the fans, who wished to remain anonymous. "They ended up breaking the pole off my flag."
The tournament was held in accordance with the rules of the International Olympic Committee, which bars fans from displaying flags of countries that are not members of the organization. Taiwan participates in the Olympics under the name "Chinese Taipei" and has a separate flag for Olympic events.
"The [policemen] told us that by waving the flag we were doing harm to our country," said another fan at the press conference. "That was ridiculous and very disappointing to hear from a government official."
Officials have argued that if the flag isn't banned at international sporting matches in Taiwan, China will pressure event organizers not to hold tournaments in Taiwan.
"It's incredibly frustrating. We are not allowed to wave our national flag in our own country, but the Chinese can wave their flag," another fan said.
Duan said the city government had ignored a statement issued by the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, which said that "fans who want to carry their national flag into the stadium must be allowed to do so under Olympic rules."
The councilors said that Ma had compromised Taiwan's dignity and forced policemen to act like "servants of China."
Ma said he was simply following requirements set by the Chinese Taipei Soccer Association, which follows Olympic rules. "The city government had no other motive than to maintain order."
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he