The Taiwanese overseas student who heckled Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) in Geneva on Tuesday said she went directly to Yeh because her previous requests to meet him had been turned down.
Rebutting allegations that she barged into a private party, Huang Hai-ning (黃海寧) told the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) that she and her friends learned at the last minute that Yeh was to appear at a five-star hotel for a banquet. They sat in the hotel coffee shop until representatives from other countries left before approaching Yeh, she said.
Huang, the daughter of former Democratic Progressive Party Taichung County concilor Huang Pin-huang (黃丙煌), said that while they were sitting at the coffee shop, the atmosphere was calm. At one point, the Honduran representative thought she was a DOH official, but she told him she was not and that she had come to see the Taiwanese representative. Hotel staff were also friendly to her and greeted her warmly, she said, adding that her group had no intention to embarrass Taiwanese officials.
PHOTO: CHANG JUI-CHEN, TAIPEI TIMES
After the banquet concluded, Huang went into the banquet hall and asked Yeh what title he was using at the World Health Assembly (WHA), Huang said. In the beginning, Yeh politely asked her which media she represented, she said. After Huang replied that she was an overseas student, Yeh turned away without answering her question, Huang said.
Saying that she did not expect Yeh would respond this way, Huang said she continued to ask Yeh to answer her question, but Yeh became angry and called her “shameful” and “not a Taiwanese because [Huang] does not speak the Taiwanese dialect [Hoklo, also known as Taiwanese].”
Huang said she thought Yeh was trying to change the topic and persisted in asking him to answer her question, adding that she repeated her question in both Taiwanese and Hakka to show him that she could speak both dialects. She said this further infuriated Yeh, who raised his voice but still refused to answer her question. She said the entire process was videotaped.
Huang said that Yeh should apologize for losing his temper abroad, calling her names and causing ethnic conflict. She said that as Taiwan’s representative, Yeh should have remained calm under all circumstances.
Huang called on the Taiwanese delegation to insist that Taiwan is not a province of China, and that Taiwan does not need to take orders from China. She said she hoped the Taiwanese delegation would be more aware of the nation’s sovereignty rights and stop belittling the country’s dignity. She said Taiwan’s participation at the WHA should be under the name “Taiwan.”
Also See: EDITORIAL: Sorry conduct at the WHA
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS