Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday demanded an apology from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"He made himself an enemy of human rights," DPP Legislator Hsieh Hsin-ni (謝欣霓) said. "Despite his advocacy of human rights and the rule of law, I have a Chinese proverb for him: The weasel goes to pay his respects to the hen -- not with the best of intentions."
Producing a copy of what she said was an official letter issued by then presidential secretary-general Ma Chi-chuang (
Ma, who graduated from Harvard University's law school, had previously worked as an intern for a law firm in New York.
The letter said that Ma, a recipient of the KMT's Chungshan Scholarship, was "loyal to the party and loved his country" and "organized various patriotic activities."
Pointing out that Ma had described former DPP chairman Shih Ming-teh (
The Kaohsiung Incident, also known as the Formosa Incident, refers to the police crackdown on a peaceful rally to mark Human Rights Day. The Dec. 10, 1979, event is generally recognized as an important turning point in the nation's democratization.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Yen Sheng-kuan (顏聖冠) showed a picture printed in a book that she said proved that Ma was gathering information for the KMT administration in exchange for his scholarship.
The photograph was taken in Boston on Jan. 28, 1978, and shows Ma leaving the scene of a demonstration organized to protest against a fixed election in Taiwan.
"Many people were blacklisted by the KMT administration as a result of tip-offs Ma provided," Yen said. "Ma has not apologized to the people of Taiwan, nor to those who were persecuted as a result of information he provided."
Yen called on Ma to face up to the past and apologize for his behavior, saying that if he failed to do so, he was not fit to run in the presidential election in 2008.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
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