Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday urged Taiwanese to use a proposed referendum as an expression of Taiwan’s sovereignty at the launch of the Formosa Alliance in Kaohsiung.
The deepest wish of Taiwanese has always been to be in charge of their own nation, Lee said, adding that due to the limitations imposed by the international situation, this wish has remained unfulfilled.
Now is the opportunity for all Taiwanese to abandon their prejudices and push for Taiwan’s participation in the international community under the name “Taiwan,” he said.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
Yesterday’s launch was attended by former premiers Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) and Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃), former presidential advisers Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) and Wu Li-pei (吳澧培), late democracy activist Deng Nan-jung’s (鄭南榕) daughter, Deng Chu-mei (鄭竹梅), as well as 3,000 supporters of the new alliance.
Members of opposition parties — including New Power Party Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), Taiwan Solidarity Union Chairman Lau Yi-te (劉一德) and Social Democratic Party member Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) — were also in attendance.
The Formosa Alliance was founded by Formosa TV (FTV) chairman Kuo Pei-hung (郭倍宏), former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Lee and other politicians who support Taiwanese independence.
At the event, the alliance reiterated its goal to push for an independence referendum on April 6 next year and elected Kuo as its convener.
“Taiwan does not belong to China; Taiwan only belongs to Taiwanese,” Kuo said.
The first step the alliance plans to take is urge the Democratic Progressive Party government to push for an amendment to the Referendum Act (公民投票法), which does not allow a referendum on independence, in the Legislative Yuan at the end of August, Kuo said.
The second step would be to host an independence referendum next year, he said, adding that the third step would be drafting a new constitution and striving for international approval of Taiwan’s admission into the UN under the name “Taiwan.”
Chen spoke to the audience in a prerecorded video, in which he said that Taiwan “must become a new and independent nation; Taiwan must enter the UN.”
As long as he is alive, he would exchange his unfreedom for the “permanent freedom of Taiwan,” Chen said.
In the face of China’s threat, a referendum is a strategy that could work, Deng Chu-mei said yesterday, as she commemorated the 29th anniversary of her father’s death.
A referendum would signal to the international community that Taiwanese are unwilling to be unified with China and unwilling to accept a “one country, two systems” framework, she said.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS