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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
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