The morale of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members should receive a boost at a rally scheduled for Aug. 30, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said yesterday.
The rally, initiated by a number of pro-localization groups, aims to protest against President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) pro-China policies.
The morale of pan-green supporters has been put to the test amid allegations of money-laundering by former president Chen Shiu-bian (陳水扁). Some DPP Kaohsiung City councilors said they had received calls from supporters asking them to cancel their registration for party membership.
Ker told reporters yesterday that the goal of the rally was to criticize Ma’s Beijing-leaning policies and his poor performance on the economy.
While some Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members have attempted to undermine the rally by portraying it as a pro-Chen event and called on the DPP to cancel it, Ker said the allegations against Chen and Ma’s poor performance were two separate issues.
The rally is scheduled to begin at 3pm on Aug. 30, with a grand finale in front of the Presidential Office.
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 organizers said the rally would also send the message that any future cross-strait initiative by the government should be put to a referendum.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
REWRITING HISTORY: China has been advocating a ‘correct’ interpretation of the victory over Japan that brings the CCP’s contributions to the forefront, an expert said An elderly Chinese war veteran’s shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he sustained when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui’s scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people. However, the story behind China’s overthrow of the brutal Japanese occupation is deeply contested. Historians broadly agree that credit for victory lies primarily with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led Republic of China (ROC) Army. Its leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a
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