Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman John Chiang (蔣孝嚴), son of former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), yesterday rejected a proposed relocation of his father and grandfather’s mausoleums, saying that the mausoleums should remain in Taoyuan County until family members reach a consensus on the issue.
The issue of the relocation of former presidents Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) and Chiang Ching-kuo’s mausoleums emerged again on the 37th anniversary of Chiang Kai-shek’s death yesterday.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) led KMT officials, including John Chiang and vice president-elect Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), to visit Chiang Kai-shek’s mausoleum in Chihu (慈湖), Taoyuan County, to commemorate the anniversary.
Photo: CNA
Ma bowed in front of Chiang Kai-shek’s sarcophagus and presented bouquets of flowers as part of his annual commemoration of the anniversary. He did not mention the relocation during the visit.
The remains of the two Chiangs were supposed to be relocated from temporary mausoleums in Chihu and nearby Touliao (頭寮) in Taoyuan County to the Wujhihshan Military Cemetery in then-Taipei County in January 2004, in accordance with the family’s wishes.
However, the Chiang family applied to the Ministry of the Interior in 2006 to halt the relocation plan, which has been stalled since.
In response to a call by DPP Legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌) for the interior ministry and the Ministry of National Defense to seek a final decision from the Chiang family, John Chiang said he would not comment on any legislator’s suggestions, but said the relocation should be determined by the whole Chiang family.
“The relocation of the mausoleum is a great matter, and careful consideration should be made before a final consensus is reached. It is important to respect family members’ opinions. The KMT’s thoughts and the general public’s deep feelings about the two former presidents should also be considered,” he said after the commemoration.
“For me, keeping the mausoleums in their current locations for now would meet the expectations of the majority,” he added.
Asked if the two Chiangs’ mausoleums should be relocated to China, as Chiang Fan Chi-yi (蔣方智怡), widow of Chiang Ching-kuo’s son Chiang Hsiao-yung (蔣孝勇), and some family members suggested, John Chiang said the time was not ripe for the relocation of the mausoleums to China.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost