Carrying model coffins and singing the Tibetan national anthem, dozens of Tibetans and Taiwanese supporters of Tibetan independence yesterday marched along Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei and submitted a petition urging President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to pay more attention to the state of human rights in Tibet.
The activists, who carried the cardboard coffins to symbolize the 28 self-immolations by Tibetans since March last year amid a renewed clampdown by Chinese authorities, condemned the Chinese government for its continuous repression of Tibet and reminded Ma of his previous promise to take an interest in human rights issues in the region.
“President Ma voiced his support for Tibet’s struggle for freedom when running for president in 2008. However, since then, he has not openly shown his support. Taiwan’s closer economic ties with China should not prevent our government from taking a strong stance on human rights in Tibet,” Taiwan Friends of Tibet deputy director Yiong Cong-ziin (楊長鎮) said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Amnesty International Taiwan board member Tashi Tsering, an Indian-born Tibetan-Taiwanese, said Tibetans had been fighting for religious freedom and their human rights in a peaceful way and that people were setting themselves on fire because the situation in the region had become unbearable.
“We need to defend our right to religious freedom and ask for the return of [Tibetan spiritual leader] the Dalai Lama,” he said.
“The fight for freedom and human rights in Tibet is not only for Tibetans ... the international community should join us in asking for change in China,” he said.
Police and security guards carefully monitored the group as it later marched from the Taipei Guest House to the Presidential Office to hand over a petition to Ma, calling on him to pay attention to human rights.
A staff member from the Presidential Office’s public relations division received the petition and promised to relay the group’s concerns to Ma.
Ma, who had expressed sympathy for Tibet’s independence movement during the 2008 presidential campaign, rejected a proposal later that year, after he had been elected, for the Dalai Lama to visit the country.
Yang Cheng-shin (楊正欣), a member of Taiwan Students for a Free Tibet, said the group hoped that the president would openly voice his concerns about China’s human rights situation and hold regular meetings with civic groups and human rights advocates to monitor the state of human rights in Tibet.
The group also invited the public to join a rally today in commemoration of the 52nd anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising. The rally is scheduled to begin at 2pm in front of Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT Station.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
The New Taipei City Social Welfare Department on Thursday celebrated Paralympic competitor Chen Tzu-wei (張孜維), who received last year’s national Golden Eagle award for exemplary achievement by Taiwanese with disabilities. Chen, who suffers from childhood-onset muscular dystrophy, did not attend the first award ceremony held by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in November due to illness. Chen was formally presented with the award at the department, where he gave thanks to government workers for supporting his education and livelihood, the department said in a statement. Chen was raised by the Ai-hsin Home for Persons with Disabilities in the city’s Bali District (八里)
RSS