President Chen Shui-bian's (
"We'd like to make it clear to the public and the international community that the president has been making good on his `five noes' promise over the past four years," Presidential Office Spokesman James Huang (黃志芳) said yesterday.
The president's plan to rewrite the Constitution is designed to strengthen democracy, he said, adding that it will not change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
"The president has made it clear on various occasions that the new constitution is part of the nation's democratization process, not a timetable for independence," Huang said.
"The constitutional reform will proceed under the premise of maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait," he said. "Our resolve to establish a peace and stability framework for cross-strait interaction hasn't changed."
Huang made the remarks in response to a warning by US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly at the US House of Representatives on Wednesday that Taiwan should not go too far in rewriting the constitution.
While pro-independence Chinese-language newspapers emphasized Kelly's praise for Taiwan's vibrant democracy, pro-unification media underscored the US government's opposition to Taiwan independence.
Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (
"We will not allow China to unilaterally interpret cross-strait relations or the `one China' policy," Lin said.
Responding to the US House of Representatives' resolution to support Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization as an observer, Lin said that he was confident Taiwan stands a greater chance of joining the organization this year thanks to the US government's backing.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
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