A battle over whether Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall will shed the name of the infamous dictator who ruled Taiwan with an iron fist for decades was in the offing yesterday.
The Cabinet said it would move ahead with a name-change for the hall, regardless of how the legislature responded to a request to suspend the law that regulates the management of the monument.
It was not immediately clear what the official name of the hall would be in English, although the proposed Chinese name (
"The Ministry of Education (MOE) will decide when the new name becomes effective," said Chen Mei-ling (
She said that the Cabinet approved a proposal to suspend the Organic Law of the CKS Memorial Hall Management and rename the hall on April 13.
The suspension request now travels to the legislature, where it must be approved by a simple majority to take effect. If the law is suspended, the hall will be downgraded to the MOE's jurisdiction, according to the Cabinet's plan.
"CKS Memorial Hall is one of those places where democratic protests have been held during the past few years. Many stories have unfolded at CKS Memorial Hall, and each of them has had a serious impact on Taiwan's democracy," Chen said.
"That was why we came up with the new name, in memory of the process of Taiwan's democracy," Chen said.
"In addition to renaming the building, we are also planning to display certain documents, photos and artifacts at the hall in the future, to present in its entirety the development of Taiwan's democracy," Chen said.
CKS Memorial Hall's current staff members and facilities will continue to work at the monument, she said.
Chen added that the MOE has yet to come up with a final version of an English-language name for the hall.
Director of the MOE's Department of Social Education, Chu Nan-Shyan (朱楠賢), who oversees the Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall, told the Taipei Times that erecting two signs -- one reading "CKS Memorial Hall," and another reading "Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall" -- during a "transitional period" might be helpful.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties made it clear they were spoiling for a fight over the issue, but were careful to avoid championing dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) himself.
Since the end of the authoritarian era, Chiang's image has undergone a re-evaluation among Taiwanese, even by members of the institution that was the vehicle for his power: the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday challenged the name-change, but focused on the financial costs such a move would incur.
Hau said that it would cost about NT$8 million (US$230,000) in "unnecessary expenditures" to change the hall's name on bus stops and MRT stations.
"The name `CKS Memorial Hall' has been used on bus stops and MRT stations, and people are used to it. The policy does not take the public's convenience into consideration," Hau said yesterday at Taipei City Hall.
Condemning the Cabinet for "putting political ideology ahead of people's rights," Hau said the city government will make residents' rights its priority, and examine the necessity of changing the name of the hall on bus stops and in MRT stations.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih and Max Hirsch
Taiwan, which accounts for more than half of the global outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing market, is well-positioned to develop copackaged optics (CPO) and manufacture precision silicon photonics chips, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Silicon photonics are emerging as a mainstream optical communications technology and is seen as key to overcoming bottlenecks in AI computing power. The technology is a key project under the government’s New 10 Major AI Infrastructure Projects, with industry, government, academia and research institutions working to overcome critical technological hurdles and build a self-reliant silicon photonics supply chain, the ministry said. Nvidia Corp in March invested US$4
The air force plans to build 26 more hardened aircraft shelters as the number of F-16Vs stationed along Taiwan’s east coast is expected to reach 120 when the final shipment of 66 jets procured from the US arrives. The incoming jets would be stationed at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung County, augmenting the F-16V Block 20s operated by the 5th Tactical Fighter Wing in Hualien County, officials said yesterday. The air force plans to allocate more than NT$6.88 billion (US$218.1 million) from next year to 2031 to build the shelters in Hualien and Taitung as part of the implementation of a “one
Palau’s president yesterday called for a “unified” Pacific response to a missile test by China in July, while Taiwan and its Pacific allies a day earlier at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) reaffirmed their commitment to peace, stability and prosperity. China gave only a handful of nations short notice before test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile in July, sparking condemnation from several Pacific leaders. The 18-member PIF being held in Palau was expected to release a communique after press time last night, with a formal response to the test possibly included. Palau, which invited Taiwan to attend sideline events as an aid partner, urged
China’s continued efforts to inject geopolitical rivalry into the region and disrupt Pacific nations’ discussions of regional issues warrant greater international attention, a foreign affairs official said yesterday. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) last week led a delegation to diplomatic ally Palau to attend events related to the 55th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) summit. However, the absence of some member-state leaders has been interpreted by some people as a sign of fracturing in Pacific unity. Thirteen PIF members were represented by their heads of state or government, while Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Samoa sent ministerial-level representatives, a diplomatic official
RSS