The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China (CIPFG) announced plans yesterday to send a "human-rights torch" around the world and called for a boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympics to condemn human-rights abuses in China.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator William Lai (賴清德), president of CIPFG's Asian chapter, said individuals or organizations that support the protest will be able to sign up online to welcome the torch.
The torch relay plan was simultaneously announced in Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong yesterday, Lai said.
"So far, organizations or individuals in dozens of cities across five continents have signed up to welcome the torch," he said. "We assure you that, at the very minimum, the torch will pass through as many cities across the five continents."
A detailed route and itinerary will be announced later, he said.
A Chinese Falun Gong practitioner told reporters at the press conference that her children are still being harassed in China because of her beliefs.
Nie Shuwen (
"Although I escaped the persecution of the Chinese Communist Party, they often harass my children in Shanghai," Nie said.
Organ harvesting in China was another topic discussed at the news conference.
"The purpose of organ donation technology is to help people, but now, because it's killing people through misuse, I have to stand up against it as a doctor," said Kuo Cheng-tien (
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
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