The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday vowed to protect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and urged the public to denounce the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which it accused of targeting the monument to provoke ethnic conflict.
During a photographic exhibition dedicated to the memorial that runs through next Tuesday at KMT headquarters, KMT Acting Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) said the hall was a favorite tourist attraction for both local and foreign visitors. He condemned the DPP for creating social and ethnic confrontation with its "anti-Chiang Kai-shek [蔣介石]" campaign.
In addition to showcasing the beauty of the hall in its exhibition, Chiang said the party would hold a protest titled "Love Taiwan, Defend the Republic of China" on Saturday to express its opposition against the DPP's attack on Chiang Kai-shek.
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Joining in the criticism of the DPP, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (
"[Chiang Kai-shek] made numerous contributions to our nation and these contributions outweigh the criticisms against him," Hau said during a question-and-answer session in the Taipei City Council.
Taipei City Councilor Lee Chin-yuan (李慶元), a New Party member, later sent a small statue of Chiang Kai-shek to Hau and urged the city government to defend the memorial.
Taipei City Councilor Yen Sheng-kuan (顏聖冠), a DPP member, questioned the city government's listing of the hall as a "temporary historical monument" despite its relatively short 27-year history.
Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Lee Yung-ping (
In related news, Public Construction Commission Chairman Wu Tze-cheng (吳澤成) said a public opinion poll on the monument will be conducted in the next month or two. The poll will include the question of whether or not the monument's outer walls should be demolished.
Wu said the commission would also assemble a task force to oversee the redesign of the monument's park following the poll.
Speaking to the legislature's Education and Culture Committee yesterday, Wu said his commission would also call on scores of "experts" in deciding if and how to demolish the hall's outer walls.
Wu said any redesign of the hall and its environs would be made to convenience the public.
Additional reporting by Max Hirsch
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS