President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday lauded late democracy activist Lei Chen (雷震) for his lifelong dedication to Taiwan democracy and vowed to push for human rights while seeking peaceful cross-strait relations.
Speaking at the 30th anniversary of Lei’s death, Ma gave the former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government credit for redressing injustice done to Lei and promised to carry out his election campaign vow of no illegal monitoring, no political interference in the media and no selective handling of cases.
“The then Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] government failed to follow the law and Constitution when handling Lei Chen’s case and the manner in which it handled the case should be re-examined,” Ma said at the ceremony in Shenkeng (深坑), Taipei County.
PHOTO: HUNAG WEN-HUANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Lei, a KMT member, was a democracy activist who was charged by the former KMT government with sedition for publishing the opposition Free China (自由中國) magazine and launching the China Democratic Party (中國民主黨).
He was in prison for 10 years and died at the age of 83.
In 1998, then Taipei mayor Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) began seeking national compensation for Lei on his behalf and honored him as a pioneer of democracy after the DPP came into office.
Ma expressed regret over the KMT’s suppression of Lei and called on all political parties to work together and build Taiwan as a country of peace, freedom and democracy.
“Pursuing peace is our major goal, as only peace can prevent wars from interfering with the establishment of a free and democratic environment,” he said.
Ma’s speech was interrupted by a woman, who urged him to improve the people’s lives and provide more jobs.
“Give people meals, Ma Ying-jeou! Give people jobs!” the woman shouted.
DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who was at the ceremony, lauded Lei — a Chinese and member of the KMT — for joining local Taiwanese opposition movements. Opposition parties should learn from Lei’s example by being more tolerant and inclusive, she said.
Responding to Ma’s call for political parties to work together in developing Taiwan, Tsai said Ma should seek social consensus on all major issues. Insisting on implementing certain policies would only create more confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties, she said.
Lei’s daughter, Lei Mei-ling (雷美琳), said the family had chosen to forgive the KMT in the name of social harmony.
Wellington Koo (顧立雄), convener of an advising committee for the Lei Chen Fund, said that while the former DPP government had promised to donate NT$30 million (US$860,000) to the Lei family as a public fund, only NT$20 million had been paid.
Koo said he would ask the Ma government to donate the remaining NT$10 million so that the full fund can be used.
Later yesterday, Academia Sinica research fellow Chiu Hei-yuan (瞿海源) said the DPP must become a progressive power again to win back public support.
Chiu made the remarks at a forum hosted by the Lei Chen Public Interest Trust Fund for Human Rights and Democracy titled “Lei Chen, Opposition Parties and Social Movement.”
Chiu said the DPP used to be a progressive power on democratization and social justice, but that it had become disconnected from progressive social movements after taking power in 2000. Its policies did not favor the low and middle class, which traditionally had been the party’s power base.
Also at the forum, Tsai said that since it came into office, the DPP had lost sight of its ideals and become more like the KMT.
While pro-localization was one of the DPP’s founding ideals, Tsai said, “politicking had intentionally or unintentionally narrowed the concept to that of exclusiveness.”
She said she hoped the DPP would work to give pro-localization a definition that is more comprehensive and inclusive.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
RSS