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New flag needed `for truth's sake'

Legislators from the pan-blue and pan-green camps face off in a dispute over the national flag and anthem yesterday. Plan-blue legislators wave the ROC flag while the pan-green lawmakers wave ``Taiwan'' and ``Yes'' signs. PHOTO: LIU HSIN-TEH, TAIPEI TIMES

A TSU lawmaker suggested yesterday that the government change the national flag into a Taiwan national banner "to better reflect the truth."

Legislator Chien-Lin Hui-chun (錢林慧君) said on the Legislative Yuan floor that while the national flag is the symbol of a nation, it is not equivalent to the country and since it is only a logo, can be changed at any time.

The TSU legislator said that under the present ROC flag, Taiwan has no way out from its various diplomatic adversities in the international community.

TSU Legislator Ho Min-hau (何敏豪), apparently in an effort to stump for a "Call Taiwan Taiwan" demonstration to be staged in Kaohsiung tomorrow, asked "why Taiwan cannot be an independent country" given the fact that it is already a sovereign state with its own constitution, president, territory and people.

"Why hasn't Taiwan become an independent state? Because people on this island lack recognition of the truth, " Ho said, adding that Taiwan will eventually fall to China if the people do not strive to change the situation.

"Why hasn't Taiwan become an independent state? Because people on this island lack recognition of the truth."

Ho Min-hau, a TSU legislator

TSU Legislator Chiu Yung-jen (邱永仁) said that amid the heated anti-terrorism drive worldwide, Taiwan should not lag behind but should voice its opposition and discontent with Beijing's deployment of hundreds of missiles across the Strait targeting Taiwan.

The TSU supports the "Call Taiwan Taiwan" movement, which has been launched by a pro-independence group named the Alliance to Campaign for Rectifying the Name of Taiwan.

The alliance plans to organize a rally of about 60,000 people in Kaohsiung Sunday to promote the "Call Taiwan Taiwan" movement.

The group is also planning to organize an even larger rally of 100,000 people next May as a culmination of the "Call Taiwan Taiwan" movement. Major ideas of the movement include a call for a change in the country's formal designation -- from the ROC to Taiwan -- to fully reflect the fact that Taiwan is a sovereign state.

Also as part of the movement, the TSU lawmakers urged the government last week to designate all domestically issued postage stamps as "Taiwan" stamps instead of ROC stamps.

Also see story:
Editorial: Taiwan needs a flag to call its own
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