Several civic groups yesterday demanded that the Assembly and Parade Law (
"The law is supposed to ensure the public's freedom to assemble and stage rallies; instead, it has become a means for the police to suppress public opinion," said Liu Ching-yi
Lin made the remarks at a hearing organized by Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Shin-yuan (
Huang Te-pei (
"Last May, our labor union was protesting in front of the headquarters of Chunghwa Telecom. It was a legal action, but the police tried to disperse us," said Simon Chang (張緒中), president of Chunghwa Telecom's Workers' Union.
Under current regulations, the police are given the power to permit or deny applications for assembly, restrict protesters' activities, maintain order and dismiss an assembly, but no norm is given as to how this power should be exercised.
The alliance called for cancelation of the regulation that people cannot assemble without a permit, demanding that this be replaced by registration.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (
She suggested that the government to abolish the Assembly and Parade Law.
Liu said that the freedom of assembly, which allows the public to voice their opinion, is a very important element of a civil society.
"It's hard to build up a real civil society if people can't shake off the fear of being dispersed, arrested, or indicted because of their participation in a gathering," Liu said.
Vice Minister of the Interior Chien Tai-lang (
"I know the Assembly and Parade Law is not perfect. However, the main purpose of it is still to defend people's freedom of assembly, and maintaining order is supplementary. We still need the law, but we are open to making changes," Chien said.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult
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