Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Shu Chin-chiang's (
People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (
"There are indeed Taiwanese whose names are listed in the shrine, but they lost their lives by fighting for the Japanese, not for the Taiwanese people," Soong said. "Paying respects to the shrine is not only an insult to the people of Taiwan, it also hurts their feelings."
Shu's behavior also sets a very bad example for trampling on the feelings of Taiwanese women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during the World War II, Soong said.
Soong made the remark yesterday morning while making an annual pilgrimage to the mausoleum of former president Chiang Kai-shek (
Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the demise of Chiang and was Tomb-Sweeping Day.
Yasukuni Shrine is dedicated to Japan's 2.5 million war dead and lists the names of 28,000 Taiwanese and 21,000 Korean soldiers, most of whom were forced into service under Japan's colonial rule.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokesman Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭) said that the TSU owes the public an apology for visiting the controversial war memorial.
"It should admit making a terrible mistakes and apologize to the people of Taiwan," he said. "I don't think any country in Asia understands or agrees with what Shu did."
While the rest of the world condemns Japan's militarism in the early 20th century and world leaders refrain from visiting the contentious shrine, Chang said that the TSU seems to be "deranged with regard to space and time" and shamelessly conducts such a high-profile trip to the venue.
"What it does seem is as if he is encouraging the resurrection of militarism," he said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Cho-shui (
"His visit is only justified if it was aimed at condemning the colonial reign of the Japanese and the coercion of Taiwanese men to serve in the Japanese military," he said.
Although Shu has argued that he went to pay his respects to the 28,000 Taiwanese whose names are included in the memorial, Lin said that it is hard to clearly differentiate exactly who Shu paid homage to.
Echoing Lin's opinion, DPP caucus whip Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said that Shu, along with other political leaders wishing to visit the war shrine in the future, owe the public an explanation as to why they want to visit the shrine and who they want to pay their respects to.
Although Japan and Taiwan nowadays rely on each other a lot, Laid said that it is also a fact that many unfortunate things happened during Japan's colonial reign.
In response to the KMT's call to apologize for the contentious visit, TSU caucus whip Lo Chih-ming (
"The KMT has turned a blind eye to our own people who fought hard to protect our home land and left them alone there during its 50-year-old rule," he said. "It is such audacity to criticize our paying respects to them."
also see story:
Editorial: TSU's shrine visit was honorable
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
RSS