Pro-localization groups have proposed to make Oct. 24 -- the date the UN Charter came into effect in 1945 -- "Taiwan UN Day" to call on Taiwanese to support the nation's bid to join the world body and remind the UN that it is denying Taiwan's entry in violation of its principle of universality.
In response, Minister of the Interior Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) said yesterday that provided the groups sent a formal proposal to the ministry, it would review their case and invite relevant departments to a meeting to discuss the proposal.
If it were passed, the ministry would amend the Measures Regarding Memorial Days and Festivals (紀念日及節日實施辦法) to incorporate the holiday, Lee said.
Following the ministry's response, some groups and individuals behind the proposal -- including Taiwan New Century Foundation chairman Chen Lung-chu (陳隆志), former presidential senior advisors Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) and Koo Kuan-min (辜寬敏), as well as organizations including the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, the Taiwan Association of University Professors and the various branches of the Taiwan Society -- said yesterday they would form an alliance promoting Taiwan's UN bid.
The alliance would then officially submit the holiday proposal to the ministry.
The Measures Regarding Memorial Days and Festivals was last amended on Aug. 29.
The country's memorial days include Anti-Invasion Day on March 14, chosen because on that day in 2005, China enacted its "Anti-Secession" Law threatening to use "non-peaceful" means against Taiwan if it declares independence.
A group of Taiwanese-American and Tibetan-American students at Harvard University on Saturday disrupted Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng’s (謝鋒) speech at the school, accusing him of being responsible for numerous human rights violations. Four students — two Taiwanese Americans and two from Tibet — held up banners inside a conference hall where Xie was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024. In a video clip provided by the Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Taiwanese-American Cosette Wu (吳亭樺) and Tibetan-American Tsering Yangchen are seen holding banners that together read:
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Heat advisories were in effect for nine administrative regions yesterday afternoon as warm southwesterly winds pushed temperatures above 38°C in parts of southern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 3:30pm yesterday, Tainan’s Yujing District (玉井) had recorded the day’s highest temperature of 39.7°C, though the measurement will not be included in Taiwan’s official heat records since Yujing is an automatic rather than manually operated weather station, the CWA said. Highs recorded in other areas were 38.7°C in Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門), 38.2°C in Chiayi City and 38.1°C in Pingtung’s Sandimen Township (三地門), CWA data showed. The spell of scorching