The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) passed a resolution in its weekly Central Standing Committee meeting yesterday declaring its full support for President Chen Shui-bian's (
Abolishing the council and the guidelines contributed to the nation's effort to prevent the status quo from slanting toward unification and to resist China's attempt to "gradually annex" Taiwan, DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun said.
"Since China passed its `Anti-Secession' Law in 2005, it has built up a cooperative platform with ... the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] to attack Taiwan's democracy," Yu said. "Then KMT chairman [Lien Chan (
Yu added that this had led the "status quo" to tend toward unification and that Taiwanese were losing the freedom to choose their own future.
The abolition of the NUC would be an inevitable outcome of the nation's democratization, he added.
Yu said that the NUC and the guidelines, which were passed by the KMT's Central Standing Committee in 1990 as part of a long-term strategy for eventual unification with China, lack legitimacy and violate the spirit of self-determination.
KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"The president should think twice and avoid damaging Taiwan-US relations," Ma said yesterday. "He should take full responsibility for the move, instead of shifting the blame onto me."
Ma reminded reporters of Chen's pledges during his inauguration speeches in 2000 and 2004 in which the president promised that during his term, abolishing the unification council or guidelines would "not be an issue."
"Now he suddenly says the guidelines are ridiculous, so of course the US will be surprised ... I hope that he keeps his promises and stops shifting the blame onto others," he added.
Chen's supporters have stressed that the pledges were made on the condition that China had no intention to use military force against Taiwan -- and that China's continued missile buildup since 2000 demonstrated such intent.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
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