Leaders and representatives of groups advocating Taiwanese independence and civil liberties have launched a movement that aims to defeat Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidates in next year’s combined presidential and legislative elections.
The Showdown 2016 — On Guard to Win Back Taiwan Action Alliance (決戰2016光護台灣行動聯盟), is a pro-Taiwan movement headed by Peter Wang (王獻極), director of the 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign, and Yang Sen-hong (楊憲宏), chairman of Taiwan Association for China Human Rights.
Wang said at the launch event on Wednesday that more than a hundred non-governmental organizations and other groups had signed up for the alliance as affiliated members or networking partners, with the focus on “terminating KMT rule in Taiwan.”
“The presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 16 next year are very crucial for Taiwanese,” Wang said. “It is time for vigorous action to defend our nation in the showdown against Chinese forces. We must stand up to win back Taiwan and end the political power of the KMT once and for all.”
Wang called for nationwide coordinated action early next year.
“We will light up large lanterns at all 228 train stations throughout Taiwan. The illuminating light of the lanterns will protect the citizens of this nation, energizing and empowering Taiwanese to win the elections,” he said.
The alliance has organized several events, including a “Solidarity Rally for All Taiwan’s Five Major Ethnic Groups,” a week-long walk around the nation starting on July 4, raising the “Taiwan flag” in front of the Presidential Office Building on Sept. 8 and an “On Guard To Win Back Taiwan” series of activities starting on Oct. 25.
Wang said he supports ending the KMT’s rule and he urged Taiwanese to support Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to that end.
The alliance said its main objectives are defeating the KMT, demanding that the KMT give up its illegitimate party assets and a new constitution to assert Taiwanese sovereignty by allowing Taiwanese to decide their own future.
“The pan-green camp and pro-independence candidates must fight to win more than half of the legislative seats. This is the only way we can deny the KMT political power and force it to come clean and return to the people its illegitimate party assets,” Northern Taiwan Society chairman Chang Yeh-shen (張葉森) said.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS