People First Party presidential candidate James Soong’s (宋楚瑜) advocacy of transitional justice is “shameless,” veteran activist and independent presidential candidate Shih Ming-te (施明德) said yesterday, adding that Soong was a former “hired thug” of authoritarian regimes.
“Where in the world does a perpetrator say that he would effect transitional justice and reconciliation,” Shih said, adding that Soong had invited “muckraking” with his promise to establish a presidential office for “transitional justice” if elected, which would investigate unresolved cases from the Martial Law era.
Having Soong offer to effect transitional justice was like asking a “demon” for a prescription, Shih said, calling Soong “shameless” and “detestable” for “parroting” Shih’s position, and promising to “stalk and expose” Soong if the PFP candidate was elected.
Soong served in numerous positions under the regimes of former presidents Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), including as head of the now-defunct Government Information Office.
Author Huang Hui-chun (黃惠君) said that during his term as head of the information office, Soong had banned the publication of 53 volumes of works, including leading opposition magazine Formosa (美麗島).
Shih was one of the “Kaohsiung Eight” of magazine-affiliated activists who were court-martialed and jailed after the magazine sponsored a march to honor International Human Rights Day.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
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