A Beijing-backed Hong Kong newspaper launched an indirect attack on Vice President Lien Chan (3s戰) yesterday, directed at comments Lien made on Monday, and warned Taiwan not to go "against the flow of history."
A commentary in Wen Wei Po (
"Is peaceful reunification not good? Why can't it be accepted? Or does Taiwan instead want the mainland [China] to use force to resolve the matter?" the commentary asked.
Without directly naming Lien, who blasted Chinese President Jiang Zemin (
"Someone yesterday declared, `The Republic of China on Taiwan is not a colony' and `We cannot accept the Chinese Communist Party's address during Macau's handover' ... This sort of talk is in reality avoiding the essence of the whole issue," the commentary said.
On Monday, Lien said Taiwan was not a colony, like Macau and Hong Kong had been, and that the "one country, two systems" formula used for their return to Chinese sovereignty would not work.
"Some people in Taiwan believe that the help of foreign powers and the deployment of TMD can delay the process, and even embark on the road to independence," the Wen Wei Po commentary said. "This is unrealistic and dangerous thinking. There is only one way out of this, which is to hold political talks with Beijing as soon as possible under the `one China' principle."
Macau reverted to Chinese rule on midnight on Sunday, ending 442 years of Portuguese colonial administration.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan