When a pan-green legislator on Thursday delivered a stinging attack against the man behind the campaign to depose the president, his actions epitomized the complicated history that many former dissidents share, despite having followed disparate career paths.
It all started in 1979, with the Kaohsiung Incident, in which a democracy protest turned into a full-fledged clash with riot police broke out. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government started to hunt down opposition activists immediately after the confrontation.
Former DPP chairman Shih Ming-teh (
Unfortunately, the head of the church, Reverend Kao Chun-ming (
Huang Chao-hui said Shih immediately called him on the night he fled the church, saying "The KMT's crackdown has begun!"
According to Huang, who was a volunteer at Formosa magazine (
Huang said that Reverend Chao Chen-er called him and asked him to hide Shih.
hiding spots
He drove Shih from one hiding spot to another. Huang said that it was difficult to hide Shih, because the KMT was going to great lengths to search for the activist.
"The reward for catching Shih was even raised from US$500,000 to US$5 million," Huang said. "But none of us sold him out."
He said that at the time, Shih was striving for Taiwan's democratization and was a good man, not a "traitor" as the KMT had portrayed him.
Shih was eventually arrested in Taipei's Ximending district, and those who had assisted him were caught as well.
A total of 10 people were arrested for helping Shih while he was on the run, including Huang, Kao, Chang, Chao, Shih Jui-yun (
Huang said that many of those people did not know one another until they met in court.
This complex history was on full display when Huang blasted Shih on Thursday, calling the former dissident a "beast" during a press conference in response to Shih's criticisms of Reverend Kao.
The exchange began when Kao criticized Shih as greedy and materialistic, and accused him of selling out Taiwan.
Shih responded that because Kao had previously been appointed national policy adviser and senior adviser to the president, he did not dare to criticize President Chen Shui-bian (
sheltered
Huang jumped to the reverend's defense, saying that Kao sheltered Shih 27 years ago and had been jailed for four years and three months after helping him to hide in his church.
"How could you say anything bad about your past benefactor?" Huang asked. "Don't you have a conscience?"
"Is Shih qualified to criticize Kao, who went to jail for him?" he added.
He also asked Shih whether he still remembers the words he spoke in court when he was forced to testify against Kao and the others who had helped him to escape:
"I refuse to testify, because you are judging the righteous!"
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), which earlier this week became the first Taiwanese novel to win the International Booker Prize, is to be adapted into a television series through a Taiwan-Japan coproduction, producer Chang Chen-yu (張辰漁) said yesterday. Chang, a producer at World Softest Production Film Co, wrote on Facebook that the company had been searching for projects with international appeal that retain a strong Taiwanese identity after colleagues and Japanese partners strongly recommended the novel. After reading the book, Chang said he immediately decided to pursue the screen rights. “A great story has the power to transcend time and borders, and connect countless people,”
RSS