Hundreds of veterans yesterday rallied outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei to protest proposed pension cuts, vowing to stage daily marches for the next three months if the government does not abandon its plans.
An estimated 1,500 people participated in the demonstration, called “Marching for the Rights of 800 Heroes,” including military veterans and members of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Huang Fu-hsing (黃復興) branch.
“800 Heroes” refers to the Chinese soldiers who defended the Sihang Warehouse against Japanese troops in October and November 1937 in the Battle of Shanghai. The battle is considered one of the most heroic and symbolic events in the Republic of China (ROC) Army’s history.
Photo: CNA
“The troops are the first ones the government calls to deal with whatever problems it has and the first to get screwed when it has nothing better to do,” said retired army lieutenant general Wu Chi-liang (吳其樑), who was named the operational commander of the protest.
Unless the government abandons its pension restructuring plans, the protesters will demonstrate daily for three months, Wu said.
The protesters are prepared to offer protracted resistance if the government does not relent after three months, Wu said, without elaborating.
KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) appeared at the demonstration to show his support, saying the demonstration is the veterans’ last resort as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government forces its “unconstitutional” pension bill through the legislature.
Sources said the veterans plan to maintain a continuous protest by pitching tents outside the legislature and marching around the legislature’s premises every day between 11am and 4:30pm.
Retired army lieutenant general Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷), who stirred up controversy late last year when he attended a state ceremony in Beijing, compared the pension plan to the “Cultural Revolution,” and said the DPP should not “provoke” service members and veterans by “testing our endurance.”
Calling the protest “absurd,” DPP Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) wrote on Facebook: “The 800 Heroes sacrificed themselves for the survival of the nation, whereas those honorless retired generals want to sacrifice the nation’s finances to line their own pockets.”
“Those people who went to China to play golf with People’s Liberation Army [PLA] officers and chant slogans, such as ‘the PLA and the ROC armed forces are both Chinese armies’ ... did an injustice to their comrades in uniform and Taiwanese taxpayers. Their shamelessness knows no bounds,” Wang said.
The Ministry of National Defense issued a statement calling for calm, saying it is still in the process of drafting pension reform plans for the military and that it welcomes the opinions and demands of active and retired troops.
Additional reporting by Aaron Tu
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
INTERFERENCE CONCERNS: An official did not respond to questions about whether Beijing had pressured the Holy See to prevent Lai from attending Saturday’s funeral President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday paid his respects to Pope Francis during a visit to the Catholic Archdiocese of Taipei, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) would act as Lai’s envoy to the pope’s funeral. Lai, who was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and Archbishop of Taipei Thomas Chung (鍾安住), offered incense, sprinkled holy water, and presented flowers, fruit and a ceremonial cup, before taking three bows. Following Francis’ death on Monday, Lai offered his condolences on social media, saying that “we will continue to draw inspiration from [Francis’]