Pro-independence groups and political parties in Taipei yesterday conducted a “pledge of allegiance” to form a new nation amid scuffles with police as the protesters denounced the so-called “Taiwan Retrocession Day” at the site where Japan in 1945 formally surrendered Taiwan to Allied Forces at end of World War II.
“The retrocession of Taiwan, with wartime allies passing temporary custody of Taiwan to the Chinese military dictatorship regime of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) was a tragic event for Taiwanese, as it would lead to a fall back to Chinese colonialism and oppression,” said Cheng Tzu-tsai (鄭自才), chairman of Sovereign State for Formosa and the Pescadores Party, the event’s main organizer.
About 300 people gathered in the plaza in front of Zhongshan Hall (中山堂), including members of Cheng’s party, the Free Taiwan Party, the Taiwanese National Party, the Taiwanese National Congress, the From Ethnos to Nation group, the 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign and two other organizations.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Cheng said that he and other groups that advocate independence are united in their push to abolish the Republic of China (ROC) regime, to complete the process of building a sovereign, democratic Taiwan, and to severe links with China.
“We demand that the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] government carry out the terms of the peace treaty at the end of World War II by conducting a self-determination referendum among the residents of Taiwan and Penghu, which was one of the conditions put into the treaty by the victorious Allied forces,” he said.
“It is time for the DPP to discard the ROC political framework and stop equating Taiwan with it, which is a fraudulent claim,” Taiwanese National Party Chairman Tsai Chin-lung (蔡金龍) said. “We need to build a new, democratic Taiwan nation.”
The groups held banners that read “ROC is not our country,” “Taiwan and Penghu are not territories of the ROC” and “Revert to Taiwan and Penghu, establish an independent nation.”
Police officers were involved in brief scuffles after protesters threw water balloons at a plaque.
Zhongshan Hall, which was previously the Taipei Public Auditorium (台北公會堂) after it was completed in 1936, was where then-governor general of Taiwan Rikichi Ando represented the Japanese government in its handing over of Taiwan to the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime, represented by General Chen Yi (陳儀), then-chief of the Taiwan Provincial Administrative Office on Oct. 25, 1945.
The KMT recognizes the day as Taiwan Retrocession Day.
Pro-independence groups say that the Allied forces only handed temporary custody of Taiwan and Penghu to Chiang, with the long-term political status undecided at the time.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS