The 908 Taiwan Nation Movement, a local pro-independence group, announced yesterday that it will mobilize 3 million people to form a human chain around Taiwan on Feb. 28, 2008 to push for passage of a new "Taiwan Nation Constitution."
Wang Hsien-chi (王獻極), convener of the movement, told a news conference that last year's "1 million people human chain" activity helped President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) win re-election, but that it failed to realize the goal of enacting a new constitution for Taiwan and changing the nation's official title from the "Republic of China" to "Taiwan."
"We now plan to hold an even larger-scale activity to drum up support for our goal of writing a new constitution for Taiwan by mobilizing 3 million people to join hands to form a circle around Taiwan on Feb. 28, 2008 ahead of the next presidential election," Wang said, adding that the human chain activity will show the world the Taiwanese people's resolve to formulate a new constitution and establish a new "Taiwan Nation."
Following the end of the human chain activity, Wang said, his group will throw support behind the presidential candidate who explicitly backs its cause and promises to implement the new constitution if elected. The next presidential election is scheduled to be held in March 2008.
Wang said since two pro-unification Taiwan opposition heavyweights -- former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) -- made high-profile visits to China earlier this year, more Taiwanese people have leaned toward China.
Worse still, Wang said, the pro-China trend has become even more evident after charismatic Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) succeeded Lien as KMT chairman. Ma is widely seen as a shoo-in to win the 2008 presidential election.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
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A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
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