Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin I-hsiung (
The peaceful sit-down protest mainly included opponents of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant under construction in Taipei County.
Lin, who founded the Nuke-4 Referendum Initiative Association, declined to speak to reporters yesterday.
However, a member of the association read out a statement drafted by Lin, in which he said that all parties promised three years ago to halve the number of legislative seats and that a constitutional amendment had been held up in the Legislative Yuan.
"Getting this resolution passed should be as easy as lifting a finger," the statement said.
The demonstrators urged legislators to pass the proposal before the presidential election on March 20 because there was no reason to delay it. They said legislators made and broke promises too easily.
The 10-day demonstration began on a chilly note, with temperatures falling sharply from the 29?C recorded on Sunday.
Demonstrators sat on cushions and had only a blanket to keep them warm.
A cold front will bring temperatures down to 11?C tomorrow, according to the Central Weather Bureau.
The hunger strike is being conducted in 24-hour sessions.
Association executive general Iap Phok-bun (
Iap said that Lin and Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (
DPP caucus secretary-general Tsai Huang-liang (
"We signed the petition letter to show our resolve. But our colleagues from the People First Party (PFP) were reluctant to cooperate," Tsai said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus leader Liao Feng-te (
"We all respect his [Lin's] prestige. But at this critical moment, it's unnecessary to waste his energy," Liao said.
No KMT or PFP legislators have responded so far to a petition endorsed by both Lin and Lee on Feb. 20, activists said.
The petition demands that the ruling and opposition parties act to halve the number of legislative seats from 225.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
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