A dozen former participants of the 1990s Wild Lily Student Movement (
"The wild lily we see now [at the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall] is not the same as the wild lily of the student movement," said Ho Tung-hung (
The Wild Lily Student Movement was launched in the early 1990s in an effort to force changes in the then Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government.
Using a wild lily as a spiritual symbol, the movement drew tens of thousands of people -- mostly college students -- to what was known at the time as Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to call for changes including dismissing the National Assembly, abolishing the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion (
"This is a wild lily that has been `green-ified,'" Ho said yesterday. referring to the hall's wild lily symbol, which features a green background.
"The real wild lilies are those that sprout independently all over the place," Ho said.
The decade-long wrangling between the DPP and the KMT has turned the two parties into two "huge national institutions" that plague the nation and its people, Ho said.
Many people are unable to express their opinions as "all of the channels are monopolized by the parties," he said.
Ho said it is very "ironic" for the DPP government to take the wild lily for its own use as a symbol of the hall because the DPP has forgotten that its opposition to the KMT's former authoritarianism was thanks to the participation of many people.
In response, Ministry of Education Secretary-general Chuang Kuo-jung (
"The symbol should not and does not belong solely to a certain group or party. It represents the will of the people," he said, adding the public must remember that the ministry and the DPP are separate entities and that the ministry does not speak for the party.
He said the pictures of the Wild Lily Student Movement are only a part of the human rights exhibit available in the hall right now. There is much more to Taiwan's democratic struggle than the student movement, he said.
Additional reporting by Jenny W. Hsu
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,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
ISOLATION: The outposts would serve as support and backup bases, forcing US forces to either face China head-on or reroute, increasing travel time and operational costs China’s outposts in the South China Sea could be used to delay and constrain foreign forces during a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, giving Beijing a critical window to carry out amphibious landing and blockade operations, a report said. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) forward operating bases on islands and reclaimed features in the South China Sea could delay foreign forces long enough for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to secure a key 48-to-72-hour window in the Taiwan Strait, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council found. The report, conducted by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, examined
RSS