The formation of the Hakka Forum (
National Taiwan University pro-fessor Huang Der-yeh (
"The forum aims to give the Hakka people a voice and to promote Hakka culture by bringing elite Hakka professionals together," Huang said.
The group is made up of about 100 Hakka professionals.
Huang said the groups' goals include advising on public policy, holding academic seminars on Hakka culture, providing national medical services for the Hakka people and offering job information for Hakka students at the university.
The forum's founding committee said the group will focus on national science and economic development issues and on the promotion of Hakka culture within Taiwanese society.
They said the forum would not support specific political parties or politicians.
Politicians, CEOs, professors, physicians, attorneys and artists of Hakka origin attended the ceremony. DPP legislator-elect Lo Wen-chia (
Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Lee said that Hakkas comprise a very important ethnic group in Taiwan.
"As a minority group, the Hakka were oppressed in the past by the authoritarian regime. However, the Hakka spirit never weakened," Lee said in the message.
Among the guests at the ceremony were Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Secretary-General Shu Chin-chiang (
There are some four million people of Hakka descent living in Taiwan.
The Cabinet-level Hakka Commission (
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
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Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
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