A younger generation of Taiwan's political opposition traded impressions over the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident (
"Without the Kaoshiung Incident (
To consolidate Taiwan's democratic system, including the party politics that the DPP has been striving for, is the new task for the next generation, they said.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Seven DPP scholars and politicians, most of whom were in their teens during the incident, and had later joined the student movements in the 80s, participated in a symposium on the impact of the incident.
For most participants, the incident was their beginning of skepticism regarding politics and propaganda at that time.
"What really shocked me was the public trial itself of the defendants (known as the `Kaohsiung Eight', who were tried for inciting the so-called `riot'). Everyone was so self-confident and righteous in the trial, which really made me think of the situation of our country," said Lai Ching-ling (賴勁麟), a DPP legislator who was a senior high school sophomore at the time.
"At that time I was very much influenced by anti-Taiwan independence propaganda, and so-called `anti-violence' tones in media reports. But in later years, I began to read different `tang-wai' [黨外, or literally `outside the party'] magazines, and I was often moved to tears by the words of Shi Ming-te (施明德) when he was jailed," said Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), a professor at National Chung-cheng University.
Lai said the incident was the reason he chose to major in politics and became devoted to the DPP. Lin also became a politics major three years after the incident.
For DPP legislative caucus leader Chen Chi-mai (
The incident had also created role models for the future politician that time, according to DPP legislator Wang Shue-feng (
"She was one of only two women, and was also a law school graduate," Wang said.
The participants at yesterday's discussion, all in their 30s, agreed that the incident had opened a space for independent thinking, and had fostered social and political student movements in the 80s that helped the establishment of the DPP itself in 1986.
Wang said the incident ultimately helped Taiwan form a democratic political system, and that what is needed now is to improve the quality of Taiwan's politics.
"Black-gold politics have made the twenty-something generation disappointed with politics. We feel that we should bear a more heavy responsibility, because current politics do not draw a clear-cut distinction between black and white, or between good people and bad people," said Wang.
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
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hualien and Taitung counties declared today a typhoon day, while schools and offices in parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties are also to close Typhoon Ragasa was forecast to hit its peak strength and come closest to Taiwan from yesterday afternoon through today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Taiwan proper could be out of the typhoon’s radius by midday and the sea warning might be lifted tonight, it added. CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said that Ragasa’s radius had reached the Hengchun Peninsula by 11am yesterday and was expected to hit Taitung County and Kaohsiung by yesterday evening. Ragasa was forecast to move to Taiwan’s southern offshore areas last night and to its southwestern offshore areas early today, she added. As of 8pm last night,