President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said the reason why he demanded the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) change its party emblem is to to break the myth of a one-party state and to carry out the goal of leading Taiwan to become a normal democratic country.
"In the past, the KMT's emblem has mingled with the national emblem in many aspects, which was a result of the KMT acting as it saw fit. Yet it did not mean it was a right thing," Chen said during the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) weekly Central Standing Committee meeting.
"Likewise, I believe that the people of Taiwan wouldn't accept it if the DPP adopted its party emblem as a new national emblem either," Chen said.
Chen also said the former KMT government intentionally used its party emblem when it designed the national emblem so that it could establish a one-party state.
"Those who insist that it is OK to mix the KMT's emblem with the national emblem simply show that they are still haunted with the mindset of favoring a one-party state," Chen said.
"Such a mindset is also the biggest obstacle ... to Taiwan's democratization," he said.
Because the KMT thought the party and the state were one and the same, it had no problem with seizing the nation's assets without giving compensation for the land it acquired. This sort of behavior led the KMT down the road of "black gold" politics, Chen said.
Chen said the KMT seized control of the military, governmental organizations and schools and replaced civic education with party education under the concept of a one-party state, all of which had confused the people of Taiwan about their national identity.
"People cannot help but be angered by what the KMT did to the country during its 50-year rule," he said.
"Fortunately, only a handful of people still indulge in the KMT's kind of obsolete and reactionary thinking," he said. "We would like to declare that the era of one-party rule should come to an end and the DPP will never make the same mistakes the KMT did."
"All political parties are equal before the nation's laws and we will carry out the goal of separating the party from the state, helping Taiwan become a normal and democratic country," he said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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