The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday expressed its support for pro-democracy movements in China, saying that only upholding values of freedom and democracy could serve as a stable basis for cross-strait exchanges on the eve of the 26th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing.
“Democracy, liberty and human rights are universal values beyond national boundaries, and therefore peaceful and stable cross-strait relations could only be built on the basis of a free and democratic system,” the statement said. “We would like to urge Beijing to believe that the people have the willingness and the ability to face challenges in democratization, for that, without democracy and freedom, without human rights and rule of law, economic growth alone is insufficient to create lives with dignity.”
What happened in Tiananmen Square 26 years ago was because of young people’s pursuit of democratic reforms and their hope to fight corruption, the DPP said.
Photo: EPA
Although the events have occurred in different times and settings, the participation of young people in Taiwan’s Sunflower movement and in Hong Kong’s Occupy Central Movement expressed similar messages: They want to decide for their own futures, it said.
“People are masters of the nation, those in power should respect and tolerate different voices. Only by following the will of the people, protecting freedom and human rights and pushing for democratic reforms can social harmony and stability be sustainable,” the statement said. “We call on Beijing to refrain from repressing dissident voices in an inappropriate way and to implement protection for the freedom of expression.”
The DPP also expressed its support for the movement for democratic reforms in Hong Kong, urging Beijing to engage in meaningful dialogues with Hong Kongers.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS