The more than 3,000 Taiwanese who died in the Allied forces’ raid on Taipei at the end of the World War II are to be commemorated on Saturday in front of the Presidential Office Building by a new pro-independence group.
Established in February, Jiawu Regime Change (甲午變天) group lists its position as “anti-China and anti-President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)” and its mission as advocating a new constitution, a new country and Taiwan’s bid for a UN seat.
“Jiawu” derives from the ancient Chinese system that used the 60 combinations of 10 Heavenly Stems (天干) and 12 Earthly Branches (地支) to denote days and years.
This year is the year of Jiawu.
National Dong Hua University professor Shih Cheng-feng (施正鋒), one of the group’s founders, said its members are cross-generational and experts in diverse areas.
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers Wei Yao-chien (魏耀乾), Chen Wan-chen (陳婉真) and Payen Talu (巴燕達魯) are among the founding members.
On Saturday, the group hopes to highlight that many parts of Taiwan’s history have never been taught in schools, Shih said.
Shih said the group was born out of frustration toward the DPP’s failure to advance the establishment of a new country, Shih said.
“We plan to organize events across the country to advocate our forgotten history; Taiwanese’s aspiration for their own constitution and own country with a new name, new flag and new national emblem; as well as our hope that Ma will step down,” Shih said.
More of an advocacy group, the organization would not seek to participate in elections, Shih said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS