College students who want to express their views should do so in a rational way instead of resorting to the “inappropriate” act of throwing shoes at government officials, Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧) said.
“College students have the right to express their opinions about the government, but they should not throw shoes at anyone,” Chiang said on Monday in response to lawmakers’ questions at the Legislative Yuan.
His comments came in the wake of several shoe-throwing incidents aimed at President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), including at least two over the weekend.
All of the shoes have missed the president or have been blocked by security staff.
However, Miaoli County Commissioner Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻) was not able to avoid being hit by a sneaker thrown by a student protesting a land expropriation case last month.
Almost unheard of until a few months ago, shoe-throwing has become a staple of protests against the government, especially among those angry with the forced demolition of residences in Miaoli’s Dapu Borough (大埔) for a science park extension.
As part of enhanced security for the president, nets have been put up to block objects being thrown, which have included eggs.
The practice has worried the private sector, which is concerned about the country’s political stability and economic development.
Answering questions at a meeting of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee, Chiang said people should treat each other with respect and engage in rational communication to avoid negatively affecting the nation’s democratic development.
Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) said security will be stepped up for the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) national congress on Nov. 10, with the National Police Agency enlisted to help prevent further attacks.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
RSS