The pan-blue camp yesterday urged police to immediately investigate the violent clashes that took place at the CKS International Airport yesterday morning and to strictly punish those who violated the law.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), People First Party (PFP) and New Party complained that Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) politicians instigated the clashes.
"DPP Legislator Wang Shin-cheng (王世堅) and the TSU's Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) were the leaders of the crowd. Everybody saw that," said KMT caucus whip Chen Chieh (陳杰). "They should be investigated and indicted since they led the crowd to break into the airport."
PHOTO: AP
Chen also complained about the Aviation Police Bureau.
"How can they be so disorganized?" Chen said. "How could they allow those protesters to enter the check-in counter area with potential weapons? In addition, they didn't even designate an area for the demonstrators, so their protest activities were basically a big mess. These police officers are simply incompetent."
PFP caucus whip Chen Chih-pin's (陳志彬) complaints were milder, reflecting the fact that the PFP has been trying to build a relationship with the DPP. He criticized the DPP for trying to sending mixed messages on Lien's visit.
"Its own politicians led the violent protest, while it announced its support toward its opposition party leader," Chen Chih-pin said.
He urged the government to show sincere support for KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
"The president said that he wishes good luck for KMT Chairman Lien Chan's trip. Did he mean what he said? I doubt it," said PFP Legislator Lee Hung-chun (
New Party Secretary-General Lee Sheng-feng (
"We asked our supporters to see Lien off outside the check-in counter area. However, the police allowed the pan-green camp supporters to enter the area, even though some of them were carrying ... belongings that could be used to attack others," Lee Sheng-feng said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based