President Chen Shui-bian (
Speaking to an estimated 100,000 DPP supporters in Taichung last night, Chen said the 496 missiles across the Strait threaten not only Taiwan but also regional stability.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"I would like to propose a defensive referendum that neither China nor the US could oppose: that we want China to dismantle missiles aimed at Taiwan and publicly renounce the use of force against Taiwan," Chen said.
Earlier in the day, Chen addressed over 30,000 Hakka people in front of the Yimin Temple, a Hakka religious center, in Hsinpu township, Hsinchu County.
Chen related the spirits of the Hakka militia "Yimin," who sacrificed their lives in the 18th century to protect their homeland, to the need for a "defensive" or "preventative" referendum in order to ensure the security of Taiwan in the light of the military threat from China.
"The Hakka spirits are the Yimin spirits, which are best described as spirits to protect the homeland, and that's what the spirit of the defensive referendum is about," Chen said.
Chen said the purpose of the referendum was to maintain cross-strait peace and Taiwan's democracy and to oppose any possibility of war.
"The defensive referendum to be held next March 20 is anti-missile and anti-war," Chen said.
Speaking at the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) first large-scale campaign rally aimed at Hakka voters, Chen said that Taiwan did not have ethnic conflicts, only the issue of identity -- whether the people who live here identify with Taiwan or not, and whether the people recognize the fact that Taiwan is not part of China.
Chen was speaking in response to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) recent proposal to hold a referendum on ethnic reconciliation to promote ethnic harmony.
Pointing out the erosion of Hakka cultural heritage, Chen said the most critical challenge for Hakka culture was that Hakka people were not willing to admit their ethnic origins -- a phenomenon manifested in many Hakka's inability to speak their own language.
According to statistics from the Council for Hakka Affairs, less than 10 percent of Hakka teenagers can speak fluent Hakka.
To prevent Hakka culture from being lost, Chen said in addition to the establishment of the Council for Hakka Affairs, set up under Chen's administration three years ago, and several Hakka cultural research institutions, his ultimate goal is to found a Yimin University specially designated for the promotion of Hakka culture.
More than 30,000 Hakka people attended the rally yesterday.
The Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli areas, in which a large number of Taiwan's 4 million Hakka reside and which have long been strongholds of pan-blue support, are seen as key to Chen's re-election chances.
Hakka heavyweight Fan Cheng-tsung (
Fan said Chen has been keenly working on making connections in the Hakka community since he became president, proving his determination to promote Hakka affairs.
"Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli are the most important areas for the DPP in next year's election. Due to the KMT's long-term domination of these areas, we expect a qualified victory by at least not losing by too much," Fan said.
Taiwan yesterday denied Chinese allegations that its military was behind a cyberattack on a technology company in Guangzhou, after city authorities issued warrants for 20 suspects. The Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau earlier yesterday issued warrants for 20 people it identified as members of the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM). The bureau alleged they were behind a May 20 cyberattack targeting the backend system of a self-service facility at the company. “ICEFCOM, under Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, directed the illegal attack,” the warrant says. The bureau placed a bounty of 10,000 yuan (US$1,392) on each of the 20 people named in
The High Court yesterday found a New Taipei City woman guilty of charges related to helping Beijing secure surrender agreements from military service members. Lee Huei-hsin (李慧馨) was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), making illegal compacts with government employees and bribery, the court said. The verdict is final. Lee, the manager of a temple in the city’s Lujhou District (蘆洲), was accused of arranging for eight service members to make surrender pledges to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in exchange for money, the court said. The pledges, which required them to provide identification
Nine retired generals from Taiwan, Japan and the US have been invited to participate in a tabletop exercise hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation tomorrow and Wednesday that simulates a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2030, the foundation said yesterday. The five retired Taiwanese generals would include retired admiral Lee Hsi-min (李喜明), joined by retired US Navy admiral Michael Mullen and former chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces general Shigeru Iwasaki, it said. The simulation aims to offer strategic insights into regional security and peace in the Taiwan Strait, it added. Foundation chair Huang Huang-hsiung
’DISTORTION’: Beijing’s assertion that the US agreed with its position on Taiwan is a recurring tactic it uses to falsely reinforce its sovereignty claims, MOFA said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said Chinese state media deliberately distorted Taiwan’s sovereign status, following reports that US President Donald Trump agreed to uphold the “one China” policy in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). During the more than one-hour-long call, Xi urged Trump to retreat from trade measures that roiled the global economy and cautioned him against threatening steps on Taiwan, a Chinese government summary of the call said. China’s official Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying that the US should handle the Taiwan issue cautiously and avoid the two countries being drawn into dangerous
RSS