More than 500 locals and expatriates took to the streets of downtown Taipei yesterday morning to protest against a US-led war on Iraq, echoing other peace rallies around the globe this weekend.
Holding placards reading "War is not the answer," and "Bombing solves nothing," demonstrators gathered next to the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
Speaking at the rally, blind aboriginal poet Monaneng (
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"At the moment, I feel ashamed of being Taiwanese because our government is supporting an act of aggression," the poet from the Paiwan tribe said.
"A war can kill many people and cripple others. It's detestable for Taiwan to support others' acts of aggression today, especially when Taiwan was once invaded by Japan," he said.
Hundreds of protesters in the demonstration, organized by more than 30 labor, civic and human-rights groups, shared Monaneng's sentiments.
"I am not only against the war, but also the unilateralism of the foreign policy of the US. And the war is the result of that," said 25-year-old Belgian Jo Swinnen.
As Swinnen's friends back at home were to join the anti-war protest in Brussels, his friend Abram Sitzer from California joined him in the demonstration next to the AIT.
Sitzer said the US should not go to war against Iraq without the endorsement of the international community through the mechanism of the UN, saying unilateralism would backfire in the long run.
"I just want to make sure if there is a decision to go to war, it should be a global decision and it should go through the UN," Sitzer said.
"I think it [a US go-it-alone war] is going to get eaten from the inside. It's going to lose a lot of domestic support ... if there isn't international cooperation for a war," he added.
Jordanian Aga Ziad, 39, said a US-led war in Iraq, regardless of the precision of the US "smart bombs," can still kill Iraqi civilians and worsen the already turbulent situation in the Middle East.
"We'd like to have peace in the world," Ziad said.
The two-hour rally, under the gaze of local police, was peppered with speeches, anti-war chants and songs reminiscent of the anti-Vietnam-war protests in the 1970s.
Local celebrities and activists at the protest included Hsia Chu-joe (
The key organizers of the rally included the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, the Labor Rights Association, the Awakening Foundation and the Taiwan Anti-Imperialist Students Organization.
Although some participants said they were disappointed with the turnout for the protest compared to demonstrations elsewhere in the world, others said at least an anti-war voice was being heard in Taiwan.
"As anti-war protests gather momentum around the globe, Taiwan should not be left behind. We need to let our voice be heard," NTU professor Lee Ben-nan (
The Taiwan Association for Human Rights calls for a peaceful end to the Iraq crisis.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS