A coalition of pro-democracy politicians and activists took out a full-page advertisement in a Hong Kong newspaper yesterday demanding that deeply unpopular Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (
"Mr. Tung, the wish of Hong Kong people ... is that you resign, resign, resign ... all your policies ... have ended in disasters," said the strongly worded advertisement by the Anti-Tung Solidarity movement in the independent Apple Daily.
"For a person so unpopular, hasty and stupid like yourself to remain in this position is the biggest reason for Hong Kong's instability," the group said.
The group was formed shortly after more than half a million people took to the streets on July 1 to protest against Tung's leadership and to demand more democracy in the former British colony, which reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.
The massive demonstration of people power sparked the worst political crisis in Hong Kong in years, split the territory's ruling elite and rattled leaders in Beijing.
Tung, whom Beijing hand-picked to run Hong Kong, is widely blamed in the city for a string of policy blunders, years of economic malaise and stubbornly high unemployment.
Veteran pro-democracy lawmaker Emily Lau (劉慧卿) is to move a motion in the legislature tomorrow to call for Tung's resignation.
Although the non-binding motion is likely to be voted down by the pro-government majority in the chamber, Lau said it reflected people's wishes.
"He has done nothing to show he is going to improve his governance. On political reforms there is no response," Lau said.
Tung's popularity ratings appear to have improved in recent weeks as the economy shows signs of reviving, fuelled in large part by Beijing. Since the big July protest, China has announced a series of moves aimed at propping up the ailing economy and appeasing public unrest.
But Tung's evasiveness over demands for more democracy continues to annoy many people in the territory. He also faces mounting pressure for a renewed probe into the SARS epidemic, which killed about 300 people in the territory and battered its tourism industry.
An expert panel commissioned by the government said last week that there had been serious shortcomings in its handling of the outbreak but did not single anyone out for blame. Many doctors fear the virus will re-emerge this winter and believe the government is ill-prepared.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique