Aboriginal Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) and People's First Party (PFP) Legislator Tsai Chung-han (蔡中涵) said that President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) speech at the Ketagalan Institute yesterday morning was insincere and swore to resume their hunger strike on Ketagalan Boulevard if Chen and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) do not hold a press conference to apologize for remarks that Lu made last week about Aboriginal people.
"You said that you wanted to establish nation-to-nation relations with Aboriginal people. But now, the words of your vice president negate your promise. You say that you will give Aboriginal affairs special consideration in the new constitution. Do you really think we will believe you?" Chin said, referring to Chen's previous promises to Aboriginal people to help them get equitable treatment from all ethnic groups.
Taiwan's Aborigines can only be satisfied by a public apology by Chen and Lu at a press conference, Tsai said.
PHOTO: LUO PEI-TEH, TAIPEI TIMES
"How can an official apology be so difficult? Chen should come and face us directly though political channels, instead of saying a sentence or two in one place or another," he said.
The two legislators made their remarks at a press conference at which they discussed the future of their protests, after police halted an unauthorized protest at the Presidential Office at noon yesterday.
The two began their hunger strike at 10am Friday morning, leading supporters in a sit-down protest on Ketagalan Boulevard that lasted throughout the night. The hunger strike was conducted by the two legislators to protest Lu's saying that Aboriginal people were not the first inhabitants of Taiwan and that victims of Tropical Storm Mindulle should be shipped to Central America because of overdevelopment in areas affected by the storm.
The protest came to an end when police forcibly removed protesters from their camp in front of the Presidential Office after giving protesters three warnings to leave.
"If police touch me, I will commit suicide," Chin yelled as she was removed yesterday.
After negotiations with police, Chin left the scene of her own accord and was taken to a local hospital in a bus.
At the press conference, the legislators threatened to stage another protest on Ketagalan Boulevard if Chen and Lu do not offer an official apology, and said they expected an answer quickly because Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"Wang called us twice yesterday and once today, asking us about our progress. He promised to talk to the president about us," Tsai said.
When asked whether or not they would seek authorization for future protests, the legislators said they would not, because the area in front of the presidential office is the Aboriginal peoples' native land.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS