President Chen Shui-bian (
During his weekly televised talk, Chen reached out to the country's 5 million Hakka and called himself of a "son of Hakka," an extension of his unofficial title "son of Taiwan."
"Language is a vital part of an ethnic group's identity," Chen said, "and it is a big boost to the dignity of a given ethnic group if its language is accepted and respected by the whole society."
Chen, who presided over the inauguration of the nation's first all-Hakka television channel July 1, said that language is a basic tool of communication as well as a means of understanding an ethnic group's history and culture.
"An ethnic group will feel that it is an integrated part of society if its language is accepted and respected by the whole society as a means of communication," Chen said.
The president said that this is why he insisted, while serving as Taipei mayor from 1994 to 1998, that announcements made on Taipei's Mass Rapid Transportation public address system include the Hakka language.
He added that this was also the reason behind his decision to start the all-Hakka channel after he was elected president.
Claiming he is a descendant of the Hakka from Saoan in the southern Chinese province of Fujian, Chen said his experience in learning some of the Hakka dialect for the inauguration of the all-Hakka channel has given him a rare glimpse into the rich Hakka culture.
He also claimed credit for the formation of a Council for Hakka Affairs under the Executive Yuan and the setting up of a Hakka research institute at the National Central University in Chungli, Taoyuan County.
Contrasting his administration's respect for the Hakka dialect and other dialects used by the local people with that of Taiwan's previous governments, he said the former governments had discriminated against these dialects by forbidding their use in public, let alone in broadcasts.
According to the DPP's recent public surveys on the issue of next year's presidential election, Chen's support rating, which has fallen behind his opponent KMT chairman Lien Chan (
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard