Officials from the European Economic and Trade Office are to attend the gay pride parade in Taipei today, handing out EU flags, of which the golden stars have been replaced with rainbow colors in a gesture of support to the gay community.
The sixth International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (LGBTI) Asian region conference was concluded in Taipei yesterday, which was hosted by the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association for the first time, with the EU’s support.
The conference was attended by about 300 LGBTI activists from 30 nations, the association said.
Photo: CNA
A statement by the office said that the EU feels that no matter their sexual orientation or sexual identification, people should enjoy basic human rights as proclaimed and guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“We hope that through multi-lateral discussions and support from the public we can further that goal,” the office said, adding that it was one of the reasons why it was supporting the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association in hosting the event.
The office said it hopes that the event would help promote the rights of LGBTI groups in Asia.
Photo: CNA
According to sources, the office offered about 40,000 euros (US$44,131), or roughly NT$1.5 million, to help the association fund the conference.
“Just like in the EU, of course more can be done in Taiwan and in the region, but we hope that Taiwan will always be the leader in this area and will lead clearly from the front in ensuring that LGBTI rights are promoted and strengthened,” said the head of the office, Madeleine Majorenko.
The office said yesterday that many of its members would be attending the parade today and would be handing out 600 EU flags with rainbow-colored stars on blue background, instead of the official gold-blue combination, to the attendees of the event to show the office’s support for the LGBTI community.
China might accelerate its strategic actions toward Taiwan, the South China Sea and across the first island chain, after the US officially entered a military conflict with Iran, as Beijing would perceive Washington as incapable of fighting a two-front war, a military expert said yesterday. The US’ ongoing conflict with Iran is not merely an act of retaliation or a “delaying tactic,” but a strategic military campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and reshaping the regional order in the Middle East, said National Defense University distinguished adjunct lecturer Holmes Liao (廖宏祥), former McDonnell Douglas Aerospace representative in Taiwan. If
Prosecutors in New Taipei City yesterday indicted 31 individuals affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for allegedly forging thousands of signatures in recall campaigns targeting three Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. The indictments stem from investigations launched earlier this year after DPP lawmakers Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) and Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城) filed criminal complaints accusing campaign organizers of submitting false signatures in recall petitions against them. According to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office, a total of 2,566 forged recall proposal forms in the initial proposer petition were found during the probe. Among those
ECHOVIRUS 11: The rate of enterovirus infections in northern Taiwan increased last week, with a four-year-old girl developing acute flaccid paralysis, the CDC said Two imported cases of chikungunya fever were reported last week, raising the total this year to 13 cases — the most for the same period in 18 years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The two cases were a Taiwanese and a foreign national who both arrived from Indonesia, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said. The 13 cases reported this year are the most for the same period since chikungunya was added to the list of notifiable communicable diseases in October 2007, she said, adding that all the cases this year were imported, including 11 from
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do