A number of pro-localization groups including the Taiwan Society (台灣社) will jointly stage a parade on Aug. 30 to protest against President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) China-leaning policies.
The date of the protest was chosen to coincide with the Ma administration’s 100th day in office.
In addition to demanding a healthier economy and protection for Taiwan’s sovereignty, the parade will also demand that the government first obtain public consent through referendum on any major cross-strait agreements in the future, the groups said, adding that Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) has also expressed the same view in the past.
The parade is slated to begin at 3pm on Aug. 30 with a grand finale in front of the Presidential Office.
A Central News Agency report, however, said that over one hundred people have backed out from the event after allegations surfaced about money-laundering by former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on Thursday.
A Kaohsiung City Councilor and member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Cheng Kwang-fen (鄭光峰), said he had received lots of angry feedback from the grassroots party members. He expressed concerns that the four buses he scheduled to bring people to the event might not be filled to capacity.
Another DPP Kaohsiung City Councilor, Lee Wen-liang (李文良), also lamented yesterday over the sudden pull-out and feared that the party’s efforts to recruit permanent members — who are required to pay NT$10,000 in dues — will be tougher than ever.
While acknowledging that the recent scandal surrounding the former president’s alleged money laundering activities has impacted the morale of the pan-green camp, the Taiwan Society said the allegations against Chen and Ma’s problematic leadership are two separate issues.
The goal of the protest, the group said, is to shun the pro-China direction that the administration espouses.
If the public fails to stand up and safeguard Taiwan’s survival and sovereignty, the problem will only escalate, the group said.
DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is a confirmed participant of the rally and agreed to help mobilize the protesters. Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) will not attend the parade.
When asked by reporters yesterday whether he would attend the rally, Lee said he would not attend any “political activities.”
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS