The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) today asked participants in today's protest against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (
The TSU and other pro-independence groups will demonstrate at CKS International Airport, where Lien will leave for China today.
TSU Secretary-General Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) said the party said it had learned that gangsters and Chinese spies might infiltrate the protest to try to stir up violence. In order to avoid riots, the party urged protesters to remain peaceful and reasonable.
PHOTO: SONG CHIH-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"If our information is true, it echoes rumors about China's fifth column," Chen said. "China's spies have come to Taiwan."
Chen called on people who are going to join the protest not to bring eggs or other items that could lead to serious conflict. The TSU asked participants to put green paper on their windshields so that police can spot them easily and direct them to the parking lot next to the airport's second terminal, which is the gathering place for the protesters.
Chen said about 50 tour buses full of protesters will join today's demonstration. With a counter-protest also planned by the New Party, he called on the government to help keep the situation under control.
Meanwhile, the TSU's spiritual leader, former president Lee Teng-hui (
"A party often claims that it is a party that always support reforms -- you know which party I'm talking about," Lee said. "However, judging from the current situation, that party has already tilted toward China."
Lee also blamed the government for its low-key attitude toward the trips by Lien and other opposition leaders to China, saying he was disappointed that the government has kept silent about unjust matters.
In contrast to the TSU and other pro-independence groups, DPP Secretary-General Lee Yi-yang (
"We do not support the protests. We don't encourage our members to throw eggs or cause conflict on this occasion. We hope that people stay peaceful and reasonable," Lee Yi-yang said.
As for Lien's trip to China, Lee Yi-yang called on Lien to represent the "reality" of Taiwan during his travels.
"About 90 percent of Taiwanese people voiced their opposition to Beijing's `Anti-Secession' Law, and since Lien has said that he values `reality,' he has to represent this reality to China," Lee Yi-yang said. "The reality in the Taiwan Strait is that Taiwan and China are not under the same jurisdiction and the Republic of China [ROC] is an independent nation."
"The so-called `peace agreement' or `cessation of war between the KMT and CCP' that Lien referred to this morning all involve the government's authority and a change to the country's future," Lee Yi-yang said. "Lien should clearly know that he is not empowered to make any verbal commitments or written agreements [with China]."
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
ECONOMIC COERCION: Such actions are often inconsistently applied, sometimes resumed, and sometimes just halted, the Presidential Office spokeswoman said The government backs healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but such arrangements should not be made with political conditions attached and never be used as leverage for political maneuvering or partisan agendas, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday. Kuo made the remarks after China earlier in the day announced 10 new “incentive measures” for Taiwan, following a landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday. The measures, unveiled by China’s Xinhua news agency, include plans to resume individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian
RSS