The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have joined human rights groups worldwide to condemn Beijing over the reported arrests of nearly 60 human rights lawyers and dissidents across China, calling on Beijing to stop human rights abuses.
“Foreign media outlets have reported that during recent days, dozens of lawyers and rights activists across China have been arrested, summoned, questioned and deprived of freedom of movement,” DPP spokesperson Wang Min-sheng (王閔生) said yesterday. “The whereabouts of several still remain unknown.”
“We hereby express our serious concern over these incidents and call on Beijing to stop moves to restrict freedom,” Wang said.
The Mainland Affairs Council should protest to Beijing to show the government’s firm stance on the values of human rights, democracy and freedom, Wang added.
“Economic development brings improvements in living standards and it is natural for people to start pursuing democracy, freedom and human rights,” Wang said. “The trend cannot be stopped, and those in power should listen and follow the will of the people instead of trying to repress it. Otherwise, the regime will eventually lose the hearts of the people.”
The KMT also called on China to protect civil rights.
KMT spokesperson Yang Wei-chung (楊偉中) said Beijing has been increasing restrictions on human rights advocates, the freedom of speech, the Internet and news outlets, as well as putting more effort into controlling dissidents.
The KMT is very concerned about the developments, Yang said, calling on Beijing to implement constitutional democracy and protect civil rights, adding that this would help to enhance mutual understanding and trust across the Taiwan Strait, shortening the psychological distance between the two sides.
There has been no word from Beijing on the arrests and state media have not reported them.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned