A cross-caucus statement issued after a provisional session at the Legislative Yuan yesterday called on the Hong Kong government to scrap its controversial extradition bill and to refrain from using force against protesters.
Legislators also called on President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration to offer support to Hong Kong protesters on the basis of the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau (香港澳門關係條例).
Lawmakers spent the morning discussing the content of the statement, which was signed in the afternoon.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
The statement, read aloud at 5pm, said the caucuses were united in their condemnation of the Hong Kong government for its excessive use of force against protesters who were expressing the will of the Hong Kong people.
“Freedom and democracy are universally valued rights that cannot not be infringed upon under the pretense of fighting crime,” it said.
The government should invoke Article 18 of the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau to provide protesters with assistance on the basis of protecting them from an “urgent threat to their safety and freedoms,” the statement said.
The statement was signed by Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), DPP deputy caucus whip Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), DPP caucus secretary-general Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬), People First Party (PFP) acting caucus whip Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞), PFP deputy caucus whip Chen Yi-chieh (陳怡潔), New Power Party deputy caucus whip Kawlo Iyun Pacidal, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗) and KMT Legislator Arthur Chen (陳宜民).
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS