Civic groups and Sunflower movement leader Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) yesterday voiced support for former National Cheng Kung University student Lee Ying-jui (李盈叡), who was charged with and acquitted of vandalism for damaging a campus sign, but faces more legal action.
They held a Taipei news conference to condemn the Greater Tainan school’s suit and a prosecutor’s decision to appeal Lee’s acquittal.
The case stems from a 2013 university request that the student association choose the name of a new campus plaza. Although an overwhelming number of students voted to name the square after democracy and human rights activist Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕) officials rejected the students’ decision.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
University president Huang Huang-hui (黃煌輝) said a university should not get involved in political activities or embrace a specific political ideology.
Students protested that stance, saying that the names of the school’s two campuses should then be changed, since the Chung-cheng (中正) campus was named for Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and the Kuang-fu (光復) campus referred to the “return of Taiwan to China after Japanese colonial rule.”
Lee, then a political science graduate student, removed the characters for kuang-fu from a sign at an entrance to the school.
He was indicted by prosecutors, but acquitted by the Tainan District Court. However, prosecutors have appealed the verdict.
“After he removed the characters, he did not run away. He stayed there to be arrested, because he wanted to call the school administration’s attention to the issue. It was an act of freedom of expression,” Lin, a Cheng Kung alumnus, told reporters. “University campuses are places where we should have 100 percent freedom of speech. However, we regrettably have not achieved democracy on campus, and it is just ridiculous that National Cheng Kung University even filed a lawsuit against one of its students.”
Attorney and human rights activist Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) said that judging by Council of Grand Justices’ constitutional interpretations, Lee’s act was a symbolic expression of protest.
“I am glad the Tainan District Court values the freedom of expression over National Cheng Kung University’s property, but I am worried that there may be many authoritarian-era judges in the Taiwan High Court who lack true understanding of democracy, and could overturn the district court’s verdict,” Huang said.
Representatives from the Taiwan Association of University Professors and the Deng Liberty Foundation also attended the news conference to support Lee.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS