The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday voiced its support for the thousands of students and faculty members from 24 colleges and universities in Hong Kong who are on strike for democracy.
“Democracy is a value that goes beyond borders. Repeatedly, the people of Hong Kong have showed their determination for democracy,” said the DPP’s China Affairs Department director Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟), who is also a lawmaker. “The Hong Kong government and Beijing must listen to the voices of the people, look into their demands seriously, and respond to them positively.”
Chao said that over the past few years, Hong Kongers have shown a strong desire for authentic democracy and direct suffrage for the special administrative region’s chief executive through demonstrations, rallies and marches that drew large numbers of participants, as well as the Occupy Central campaign.
Photo: Hung Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
“However, Hong Kong and Beijing authorities did not respond to their demands. Rather, they crushed [Hong Kong] people’s dream for democracy with a white paper on the practice of the ‘one country, two systems’ policy, and the Hong Kong electoral reform program,” Chao said.
“Having traveled on the same road to democracy, the people of Taiwan understand how hard it is, and can feel how the people of Hong Kong feel — dreams of democracy may be repressed, but will not disappear,” he said. “We will continue to show our concern and support for the pursuit for democracy.”
Separately yesterday, in support of the Hong Kong students’ strike for democracy, the Student’s Association of National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu City said it has undertaken a joint action with several universities natiownide, including National Central University (NCU), National Chung Cheng University, National Sun Yat-sen University and National Taiwan University, to launch an online petition and series of lectures named “Street Seminar on Democracy (街頭民主講堂),” among other activities.
“We will also compile a ‘lazybones pack’ on related information to help Taiwanese students understand the spirit and objectives of the student movement in Hong Kong,” said Hsu Guangcheng (徐光成), president of the Students’ Association at National Tsing Hua University.
“The ongoing boycott is a large-scale movement showing solidarity among several universities in Hong Kong, with an emphasis on Hong Kongers striving for true universal suffrage and democracy,” added Chan Wan-yi (陳蘊兒), vice president of the NCU Students’ Association and herself a student from Hong Kong. “We hope that actions that express our support from Taiwan can be heard by Hong Kong students across the Taiwan Strait, to let them know that they are not alone.”
“The Chinese government has abandoned their promise of ‘democratic governance in Hong Kong,’” Hsu said. “They have neglected the results of the referendum conducted by the people of Hong Kong and turned a blind eye toward calls for true universal suffrage for the chief executive election, refusing to allow the people of Hong Kong to attain the goal of autonomy.”
Hsu said his association has already invited faculty from the school’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, with classes for the Street Seminar on Democracy scheduled for next week.
The classes are to elaborate on the Hong Kong students’ campaign for democracy, while emphasizing the resolve to defend democracy and freedom in Taiwan, he said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique