Where is Taiwan heading?
On Oct. 20, more than 130,000 Formosans loudly voiced their overdue claim of self-determination in front of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) headquarters in Taipei, demanding an amendment to the Referendum Act (公民投票法) to allow for a poll promoting Taiwanese independence and rejecting Chinese annexation.
The angry protesters shouted slogans such as “Taiwan yes, China no” and “[We] want a referendum.”
They waved a green flag with the image of Taiwan on it.
There were dignitaries, Taiwanese democratic pioneers and seniors on stage.
“We should tell the world that we want to establish an independent country,” alliance convener and Formosa TV chairman Kuo Bei-hung (郭倍宏) said.
“To strive for a better future, Taiwanese should fight against China’s attempts to swallow the nation,” political veteran Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) said.
Wu Li-pei (吳澧培), founder and honorary chairman of the Formosa Foundation, criticized the Referendum Act as an iron cage transformed from a bird cage, as it does not even allow Taiwanese to rectify the name of their own land and nation.
He warned people not to let Taiwan became the second Hong Kong.
“We are at a critical juncture of history. There might be a long way to go to achieve Taiwanese independence, but everyone should play his or her own part to realize the goal,” he said.
Headline news on the front page of Reuters: Thousands rally in Taiwan, call for referendum on independence from China. South China Morning Post: Taiwan independence protesters take to the street in Taipei. ABC News: Thousands of pro-independence demonstrators rally in Taiwan. The Washington Post: Thousands of pro-independence demonstrators rally in Taiwan. DW: Taiwan’s independence rally draws thousands, irks China. The Financial Times: Taiwanese protesters step up calls for independence.
More than 80 world media organizations reported about the Oct. 20 event, but it was totally ignored or blocked inside Taiwan. Only Formosa TV, Taiwan People News and the Taipei Times published the headline the following day.
Self-determination is a right that has been overdue for Taiwanese since the end of World War II. However, it has been labeled the biggest unforgivable crime thanks to the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) seven decades of brainwashing.
No, Taiwanese are not Chinese and China does not have any right over Taiwan. There is no legal document or international treaty to prove its nonsense claim.
It is time for Taiwanese to seriously face their own political legal status. Taiwan needs to build itself up as a new nation, but not ask for independence from China — it simply does not have any right to it.
It was sad seeing only a few young Taiwanese showing up on the day of the rally; maybe they are totally unaware of the truth of Taiwan’s history.
Education providing correct information about Taiwan after World War II is urgently needed. The Taiwanese government should offer an open forum to discuss the de jure sovereignty of Taiwan, and not just act like an ostrich burying its head and running office under ROC law.
It is wasting time, and Taiwan will go nowhere under it.
John Hsieh
Hayward, California
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