President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was urged yesterday not to forget “the nature and true color of the Chinese Communists” and to uphold the sovereignty of the Republic of China.
Accusing Taiwanese police of “using force against their countrymen and women,” Taipei City Councilor Lee Wen-ying (李文英) of the Democratic Progressive Party said: “Human rights in Taiwan have been lost as a result of the force used by police against anti-China protesters” at venues visited by Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) in the past two days.
Lee went to the Presidential Office to present several books and an appeal to Ma, calling on him not to sacrifice the nation’s sovereignty.
Explaining her actions, Lee said that Mao Zedong’s Quotations and the Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) published by the Epoch Times — represent the most telling record of the Chinese Communists’ “vicious and unscrupulous nature.”
Another book she presented, former president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) The Taiwanese in a New Era, argues that Taiwanese should “outperform the era” and that the country’s president should represent the people of Taiwan rather than himself, she said.
Records of China’s Judicial Persecution of Taiwanese Businessmen, meanwhile, is an account of Taiwanese businesspeople in China who were “rejected” by Chen and his aides after they were exploited and bullied, she said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious