No matter how China develops politically, democracy will be its final destiny, said President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in an article in remembrance of today's 16th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre.
The massacre began in Beijing on June 4, 1989, when the Chinese authorities brutally instructed troops to crush pro-democracy demonstrators gathered in Tiananmen Square.
In his weekly e-newsletter published yesterday, the president said it is time to review political developments on both sides of the Taiwan Strait since 1989.
While the massacre stymied China's democratic development, Chen said Taiwan has since accelerated its democratic reforms and has emerged as the "democratic lighthouse" of the world's Chinese societies.
Judging from Taiwan's experience, Chen said he is convinced that repressive rule only restricts humans temporarily, and cannot constrain them for ever.
The value of democracy lies in the fact that diverse opinions can co-exist, Chen said, "although sometimes clamoring might appear in an occasional display of disorder,this, however, cannot be used as an excuse to take away the people's right to be their own boss."
"Pursuing democracy is our ideal, and protecting democracy is our responsibility," Chen said in the article. "Although to China, the shadow of Tiananmen might gradually fade away, the `sun' of democracy is dawning quietly in various corners of China."
"I believe that no matter how bumpy China's political development might be, democracy will be its final destiny," Chen said. "I earnestly hope that China's leaders can respect and protect the people's right to free choice, and hope that the universal values of freedom and democracy will blossom in China eventually."
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS