Religion is the greatest force to usher change, the German and South African representatives to Taiwan said yesterday at a prayer meeting to mark the 71st anniversary of the 228 Incident.
The event, held at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Taipei, began with a prayer for the 228 Incident, with the organizers saying that the truth about the Incident has yet to be revealed and continues to cast a shadow over the nation.
German Institute Director-General Martin Eberts said that church members played an important role as just and unyielding social figures when Nazis ruled Germany during World War II and Communists ruled East Germany.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
It was the church that helped unite people in those societies, Eberts said, adding that the non-violent way in which it conducted itself to achieve social unity won the church greater support.
South African Representative Robert Matsebe talked about the importance of reflecting on history, citing how his nation’s apartheid regime caused many deaths.
History should not be allowed to repeat itself and it is very important to clarify what responsibilities the aggressors should shoulder, Matsebe said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Victims must be cared for and perpetrators punished, he added.
Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) was also at the prayer meeting.
The 228 Incident refers to an uprising that began on Feb. 27, 1947, and was violently suppressed by the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime. The resulting brutal crackdown left tens of thousands dead and led to nearly four decades of martial law.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
Fast food chain McDonald's is to raise prices by up to NT$5 on some products at its restaurants across Taiwan, starting on Wednesday next week, the company announced today. The prices of all extra value meals and sharing boxes are to increase by NT$5, while breakfast combos and creamy corn soup would go up by NT$3, the company said in a statement. The price of the main items of those meals, if ordered individually, would remain the same. Meanwhile, the price of a medium-sized lemon iced tea and hot cappuccino would rise by NT$3, extra dipping sauces for chicken nuggets would go up
Yangmingshan National Park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) nature area has gone viral after a park livestream camera observed a couple in the throes of intimate congress, which was broadcast live on YouTube, drawing large late-night crowds and sparking a backlash over noise, bright lights and disruption to wildlife habitat. The area’s livestream footage appeared to show a couple engaging in sexual activity on a picnic table in the park on Friday last week, with the uncensored footage streamed publicly online. The footage quickly spread across social media, prompting a tide of visitors to travel to the site to “check in” and recreate the
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not