President Chen Shui-bian (
"To have both late presidents Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo buried in Taiwan is the Chiang family's wish, and we should respect that," Chen said while attending an event hosted by the Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen to commemorate Chiang Kai-shek's 118th birthday yesterday.
The two Chiangs have for decades laid embalmed in temporary mausoleums. This July, Chiang Ching-kuo's widow, Faina Chiang Fang-liang (蔣方良) requested that they be buried in the military mausoleum on Wuchihshan.
Chen said that "for the sake of national unity and social harmony, I'd like to call on these people to be more tolerant and respectful."
He clarified that the current state burial of the State Funeral Law is very simple and solemn.
"According to current rules, the flag will be lowered to half-mast only on the day of the state funeral; flags will not be lowered to half-mast for 30 consecutive days nor will there be any suspension of entertainment events for 30 days," Chen said.
He was alluding to the ceremonial funeral which took place when Chiang Kai-shek died in 1975, during which public observances of the death included a period during which all TV programs were changed to air only in black and white, and flags were lowered to half-mast for nearly a month.
People First Party (PFP) Legislator Chin Huei-chu (秦慧珠) yesterday criticized Chen for his remarks, saying they were aimed at securing veterans' votes in favor of the Democratic Progressive Party in the December legislative elections.
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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 US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative.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
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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