Taiwan must declare independence to become an equal member of the international community, Taiwan independence activist Su Beng (史明) said yesterday.
“Taiwanese must become independent,” Su, 97, told a crowd in a visit to Changhua County’s Lugang Township (鹿港). “Only then will we be able to determine our own affairs, and only then will we stand as an equal among the nations of the world.”
Su accused the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of colonialism, saying that during the Martial Law era, “the KMT held on to the belief that it would return to China. Therefore it thought of Taiwan only as a temporary residence for the interim period and ruled it as a colony, never considering itself Taiwanese.”
“The people who are truly from Taiwan are afraid to say that they are Taiwanese, and that is the Taiwanese tragedy, but fortunately, I believe the new Taiwanese generation has awoken, and hope has dawned in Taiwan,” Su said.
Su yesterday visited the campaign headquarters of Democratic Progressive Party legislative candidate Chen Wen-pin (陳文彬) in Changhua County to voice his support.
Su gave Chen a scroll of calligraphy he had authored that read: “Chaser of dragonflies, lover of the homeland and defender of the roots of Taiwan.”
“Su is an important thinker and revolutionary in the Taiwan independence movement and a steadfast champion working for men and women on the left of the political spectrum,” Chen said, adding that Su has been an inspiration for younger social justice activists.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
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