Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislators reacted to violent crackdowns on peaceful demonstrators in Hong Kong by yesterday calling on the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government to suspend talks with China.
TSU caucus whip Lai Zhen-chang (賴振昌) said that China has broken the promises it gave to Tibet in the 17-Point Peace Agreement signed in 1951 and those given to Hong Kong — that it would be allowed autonomy for at least 50 years — prior to China’s takeover of the territory in 1997.
“This shows that any agreements signed with China are meaningless,” he said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
TSU Legislator Chou Ni-an (周倪安) said that as Taiwan and Hong Kong have between 40 and 50 percent dependency on foreign trade, “We should learn the lesson from Hong Kong on what might happen when we are economically overdependent on China.”
“The TSU condemns Hong Kong police for violence against student protesters and we voice our support for Hong Kong’s campaign for democracy,” she added. “We also call on the government to learn from Hong Kong and suspend the signing of any agreements with China.”
Separately, voicing their support for the pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday said they would propose a resolution against China’s “one country, two systems” framework.
“The DPP caucus strongly condemns violent crackdowns and any acts against democracy,” DPP caucus whip Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a news conference at the caucus office yesterday. “The caucus will also propose a resolution to show our concerns for the democratic movement in Hong Kong, as well as our objection to the ‘one country, two systems’ scheme.”
DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said that what is happening in Hong Kong is a lesson for Taiwan.
“I felt saddened last night when I saw a picture on the Internet of a man holding a placard that read: ‘I am Hong Kongese; I would like to urge all Taiwanese to stand on our corpses and think about your future,’” he said. “The crackdown in Hong Kong teaches the lesson that ‘one country, two systems’ is only a big lie. No matter which political party you support, all Taiwanese should show support for Hong Kong’s democracy [movement].”
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
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
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai