Answering a call of nature has pitched Vice President Lien Chan (
A self-help group of aboriginal villagers has accused Lien of empty grandstanding in his tour of quake-hit aboriginal villages in Nantou County on Saturday.
The self-help group, consisting of members of the Taiyal, Bunun and other tribes, accused Lien of refusing to meet with people from more than 100 families in a devastated tribal village in Nantou County's Jenai township, who were waiting for the opportunity to air their grievances to him.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Instead of entering the Chungyuan (
Lien used the bathroom in a villager's house to relieve himself and then immediately left without meeting the villagers, the group said.
The villagers then followed Lien's entourage to the Huchu village activity center, where he gave a 10-minute speech. Again, Lien made a hasty departure without meeting with villagers, who were forcibly removed by security personnel to make way for Lien, the group said.
Lien's spokesperson Ting Yuan-chao (?B遠超), however, yesterday called the group's accusations groundless, saying Lien's visit was hampered by interference from activists who are not local residents.
Ting accused the activists of trying to incite enmity against the government among aboriginal peoples.
After an overnight sit-in Monday in front of Taipei's Chungshan Hall, the self-help group filed a petition yesterday with the National Civilian Alliance for the Coordination and Monitoring of Post-Quake Construction, a civilian umbrella alliance monitoring earthquake relief work chaired by Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (
The petition accused the government of negligence and bias in dispensing quake relief, ignoring Aboriginal villages struck by recent quakes and asked Lee to intervene.
"The aboriginal people have not received a fair share of resources for post-quake reconstruction," the petition said.
At the alliance's Taipei office, the group was received by Chiu Hei-yuen (
The self-help group plans to stage another protest in front of the Presidential Office today.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
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
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
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
RSS