Ten years ago, a movement called the Lily Student Campaign (
"We've realized our dream. From now on, we need to create a new dream among the younger generation to improve Taiwan," said Chung Chia-pin (
Over 70 prominent members of the movement -- which is widely acknowledged as having been the most influential student activist alliance in Taiwan -- gathered yesterday to bask in the triumph of Chen's victory and reminisce about their early days.
In particular, members spoke about their one-week rally at the CKS Memorial Hall in March 1990, where more than 10,000 students gathered to protest the slow pace of political reform since the lifting of martial law in 1987.
"Ten years ago we never considered the possibility of an alternation of political power in Taiwan. But it happened," said Jou Yi-cheng (
Jou said almost all of the party's young members and those who had served on Chen's campaign team were members of the so-called "lily generation."
"The dedication of those students and socio-political activists has had an immense impact on Taiwan's democracy," Jou said, adding that their legacy has been carried on by the new generation of youth activists.
During that eventful week 10 years ago, students presented an appeal of four basic points to President Lee Teng-hui (
The first two appeals have seen implementation, and the third is in progress.
The fourth -- disbanding the National Assembly -- appears within days of being realized.
"Disbanding the National Assembly is not only a dream now," said Chung Chia-pin, a student activist in the 1980s who was elected to the Third National Assembly in 1996.
"To win a seat and thereafter [work to] abolish it was our motivation for participation in the Assembly," Chung said.
"We've almost realized our dreams. The next step is to help the younger generation to create other dreams for Taiwan," Chung said.
"The Lily Student Campaign was not one occasion -- it was like a relay baton passed down from our predecessors," added Chiu Yu-bin (
Chiu recalled an incident when students were collecting donations from the public at the CKS Memorial Hall.
An elderly veteran wanted to donate a lot of jewelry, telling them these were all his valuable possessions.
"We almost kneeled down to beg him to rethink. But he insisted, saying amid tears that he had been hoping for national reforms all his life. He said that it was the only thing he could think to do at the time," Chiu said.
It was a formative event in his life, Chiu said, as he felt the burden of responsibility that came with being a political activist and he sent the veteran home with his valuables.
"The Lily Student Campaign should be held up as an example for the younger generation to understand that with imagination comes the possibility of social reform," Chiu said.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS