The government’s dealings with China are “worrisome” because they are conducted in an oblique fashion and without a public consensus, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Tsai was briefing Japanese media yesterday on the purpose of Sunday’s anti-government demonstration, saying it was to protest against President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) policies, especially those related to Taiwan-China relations.
Sunday’s rally is also a protest against the government’s proposed amendment to the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), which would turn Taiwan into a police state if passed, she said.
The passage of the act, she warned, would restrict people’s freedom to speak and assemble. This would be the antithesis of democracy, she said.
The DPP will provide more details on the protest at an international press conference today.
Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus deputy secretary-general John Wu (吳志揚) urged the DPP to cancel its rally on Sunday.
Citing a poll conducted by the Chinese-language China Times yesterday that said 56.1 percent of respondents were satisfied with the Ma administration’s performance over the past year, up from 45 percent in another poll last month, Wu told a press conference that the legitimacy of the DPP’s rally would be questioned.
KMT caucus secretary-general Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) said: “The DPP should understand that improvement in the economy, rather than political wrangling, is the public’s first priority.”
The poll surveyed 1,019 people earlier this week and showed an increase of 11.2 percentage points in Ma’s rating since a poll taken last month. His rating is up from 35.5 percent in July when Taiwan fell victim to the global financial downturn.
In related news, pan-blue camp Taipei City councilors yesterday condemned Taipei City’s Department of Transportation for failing to present complete traffic control measures on Monday for the DPP’s sit-in protest, urging the department to protect the “rights of the majority.”
The DPP obtained a permit to hold a rally on Ketagalan Boulevard on Sunday, but decided not to apply for permission for the sit-in protest that will last until Monday.
New Party Taipei City Councilor Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) said although the DPP refused to make the 24-hour sit-in protest legal by applying to the Taipei City Government for permission, the department should still draw up traffic control measures for people who need to work on Monday.
“The sit-in protest is two days away and the department has only presented a traffic control plan for the rally on Sunday. The traffic on Monday is what we are concerned about because most people will be returning to work,” she said yesterday at the Taipei City Council.
New Party Taipei City Councilor Hou Kuang-chun (侯冠群) also demanded that the department and Taipei City’s Police Department present a traffic plan so that those who need to visit National Taiwan University Hospital or go to schools near the Presidential Office would not be affected by the sit-in.
Fang Yang-ning (方仰寧), director of Taipei City Police Department’s Traffic Division, said it would implement flexible traffic controls on Monday as it was difficult to estimate the exact number of protesters who will stay for the sit-in. Fang, who handled traffic control during the 24-hour sit-in protest against then president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in 2006, promised to make sure students and patients would be able to enter the area unimpeded.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND AFP
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
RSS