A parade is to be held in Kaohsiung on Saturday to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Kaohsiung Incident, organizers said yesterday.
Sacrifices by people who fought for democracy, freedom and human rights in Taiwan must not be forgotten, Taiwan Friends Association director Huang Kun-hu (黃崑虎) told reporters in Taipei.
The incident started when the pro-democracy Formosa Magazine (美麗島雜誌) held a demonstration commemorating International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, 1979, in Kaohsiung, calling on the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government to respect human rights and demanding democracy.
Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Taipei Times
Within hours, the protesters were surrounded by scores of military police, while prominent leaders of the democracy movement were arrested. Several of them later went on to become leaders of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The incident is considered an important event in Taiwan’s transition to democracy.
“Let history be a lesson to all,” Huang said, urging people to cherish the nation’s hard-won democratic political system and free elections.
At the time of the incident, there was no freedom of speech and the government deemed the protest a revolt, said Linda Arrigo (艾琳達), a veteran democracy campaigner, human rights advocate and environmentalist.
However, it merely called for freedom, democracy and human rights in Taiwan, Arrigo said.
“Looking back at this stage of Taiwanese history and comparing it to what is going on right now in Hong Kong, I believe that many people here feel for the pro-democracy protesters there,” she said.
Saturday’s parade, jointly organized by the Defend Democracy Safeguard Taiwan Alliance, the Taiwan Society and several other civic groups, is to take place on the roads around the Formosa Boulevard Station of the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit system.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the
RSS