Controversy over a police visit to the parents of labor rights campaigner Lu Chyi-horng (盧其宏) erupted yesterday, with Premier Lin Chuan (林全) promising to investigate after the incident sparked widespread criticism.
The Workers Struggle Alliance, with which Lu is closely affiliated, late on Friday posted online messages that Lu said he had received from his father telling him that police had stopped by his parents’ home earlier in the day because they wanted to “understand” the cause of Lu’s “dissatisfaction” with the government.
“Be careful! The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) might be starting to take actions which will be disadvantageous to those of you who are singing a different tune,” the message said. “What can you do if they decide to take forceful actions? For your own safety, do not keep pushing things.”
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The police action followed a protest outside President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) private residence on Dunhua S Road in Taipei on Wednesday, which saw Lu wield a microphone as protesters clashed with police.
Tsai earlier this week directed the DPP’s legislative caucus to prioritize passage of controversial amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), which passed out of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee shortly after Wednesday’s protest.
The messages posted by the Workers Struggle Alliance quickly drew an enthusiastic online response, receiving almost 1,500 Facebook reactions and 800 shares by press time last night.
“This is absolutely unbelievable,” netizen Yang Chun-yan (楊俊彥) said. “There is no way we can permit a backsliding of our democracy, much less a new version of White Terror!”
The White Terror refers to a period of political oppression which saw thousands of suspected political dissidents disappear over the first few decades of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rule in Taiwan.
“I do not want police to be looking up any of my family members — if they want to look someone up, they should look me up,” Lu Chyi-horng said, adding that the incident made him feel that the “state apparatus” was putting its focus on his family.
“If they think I have committed a crime or they want to understand why I am dissatisfied with the government, they could have just arrested me at the protest site,” he said.
The revelation drew a swift response from Lin, who posted a response within hours saying that he had directed the National Police Agency to investigate the claims and he had told police officers the government would not tolerate interference with citizens’ freedom of expression.
Police in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店), where Lu’s parents’ home is, said that police officers had visited their home, but denied any intention to intimidate.
“Our police officer knew that [Lu’s father] was the father of a social activist, and as they were chatting happened to ask about where Lu lives,” said Hung Hsien-cheng (洪獻政), the chief of Sindian’s Jiangling police station, adding that police were conducting a “normal, routine household visit” with no special intention.
He denied that they had received any directive from superiors to conduct the visit.
“Our colleagues’ lack of experience probably led to a misunderstanding by the citizen during the questioning process,” he said, adding that he personally accompanied the police officer to return to the family’s home to apologize.
Lu said the police explanation was “difficult to understand,” given that his household registration is no longer his parents’ residence.
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
POLLS CONCERNS: There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng Li-wun-Xi Jinping meeting could trigger a voter backlash in elections in November Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit next month, her party and Chinese state media reported yesterday. Cheng, who took up her role in November last year, “gladly accepted” the invitation to lead a delegation to China, the KMT said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua news agency report. Cheng “looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides,” the statement said. Chinese
SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. A US delegation led by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican US Senator John Curtis — both members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a two-day visit. The other senators of the delegation included Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. Shaheen told a news
RSS