President Chen Shui-bian (
Yesterday would have been Lei's 110th birthday.
As the nation commemorates the legacy of Lei Chen (雷震), Chen said the public must ponder what other hurdles must be overcome on the country's road to democracy.
Chen outlined how he saw the obstacles; to rewrite the Constitution which he described as outdated; to hold a referendum which he said is the materialization of direct democracy; and freedom of speech, which he said has been abused by the media.
Chen made the remarks while addressing the first of a series of forums held to discuss the achievements of Lei in Taipei yesterday afternoon. Yesterday's forum focused on Lei's views on the constitutional system. The events are being organized by Academia Historica, the Lei Chen Democracy Human Rights Foundation and the Compensation Foundation for Improper Verdicts.
Lei, a founder and publisher of the Free China journal, was arrested on Sept. 4, 1960, on treason charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison at the behest of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) because of the journal's pro-democracy stance. The magazine, which was launched in 1950, was then closed.
Declassified documents show that the Taiwan Garrison Command proposed drastic measures to stop the publication of the journal. Six hours before the verdict was handed down, Chiang issued an order that Lei's sentence should not be less than 10 years, and that the first ruling may not be changed on appeal.
During his 10 years in jail, Lei wrote a 4-million-word memoir chronicling his life and thoughts on democracy. However, the memoir and most government documents regarding the "Lei Chen incident" have disappeared or were destroyed.
During Chen's tenure as a lawmaker, he requested a government investigation into the incident and requested compensation from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration, but to no avail.
After being elected president in 2000, Chen ordered the Ministry of National Defense in February 2002 to try to recover Lei's memoirs and related government documents.
Lei Mei-lin (雷美琳), Lei Chen's eldest daughter, who returned from the US to attend yesterday's event, described her late father as a "far-sighted politician" who deserved a great deal of respect. She also cited journalist Xiang Yang (向陽) who wrote that her father was "as brave as a lion, as steadfast as a camel and as innocent as a child."
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai