‘POISONED SUGAR PILLS’: The olive branches extended by Beijing conceal poisonous thorns, pro-Hong Kong groups said, urging Taiwanese to support the territory
Believing in Beijing’s promises of peace and prosperity would cause the destruction of Taiwan as a sovereign nation, pro-Hong Kong advocates and human rights groups said in a joint statement on Monday, as they condemned the territory’s largest national security trial opening the day before. The loss of the nation’s sovereignty would mean mass roundups of Taiwanese and the end of its formerly stable way of life, they said in a joint statement signed by the Taiwan Association of Human Rights, New School for Democracy and Hong Kong Outlanders, among others. The 47 defendants in the national security trial include some of Hong Kong’s most prominent democracy advocates who were charged with subversion for holding an unofficial primary election. They face up to life in prison if convicted. As the most immediate target of China’s military buildup, Taiwan must support Hong Kong, which would affirm the nation’s commitment to the universal values of freedom and remind Taiwanese that Beijing’s olive branches often conceal poisonous thorns, the groups said. It is alarming that a Beijing peace proposal based on its “one China” principle has returned to public discourse in Taiwan, they said, urging Taiwanese to learn from Hong Kong’s experience with communists and their “poisoned sugar pills.” The groups said the Chinese Communist Party showed a complete disregard for the wishes of Hong Kongers when it rammed the National Security Law through the territory’s legislature. The establishment of national security judges, abolition of jury trials and utilization of secret trials by Chinese authorities represent a systematic attack on Hong Kong’s legal institutions, the groups said. Legal proceedings have devolved into nothing more than political drama staged to crush Hong Kongers’ will to resist, but many of the defendants have continued to defy the authorities by confronting the prosecutors in court, they said.
The Executive Yuan’s Civil Service Ethics Department is to investigate an accusation that Taiwan Transportation Safety Board Chairman Young Hong-tsu (楊宏智) used his official vehicle for personal matters during office hours. “The premier has asked the Civil Service Ethics Department to proceed with an investigation into this matter and compile a report within three days,” Executive Yuan spokesperson Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥) said. “The investigation will also ensure the public’s continued trust in the government,” Chen said. MAGAZINE REPORT The announcement came after the Chinese-language weekly Mirror Magazine reported that Young during office hours allegedly used his official chauffeur-driven vehicle to meet friends in Yilan County, where he also visited hot springs and restaurants. The magazine also reported that after the board was last year instructed to conduct an investigation into space-related accidents, Young allegedly used this as an excuse to travel frequently to Pingtung County on the premise of watching rocket launches or visiting the Taiwan Space Agency offices. The allegations were made after Young’s chauffeur was found to have spent more than NT$10,000 per month on business travel costs, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Alfred Lin (林家興) told a news conference. “Is this the ‘warm and resilient Cabinet’ that the Democratic Progressive Party government is trying to build: allowing government officials to use government-assigned chauffeurs as their personal servants and abuse their authorities?” Lin said, adding that Young should be asked to step down immediately. DENIAL Young told reporters in a telephone interview that he had not traveled to Pingtung after the board was charged with investigating space-related accidents. Regarding his trips to Yilan, Young said he once went to a restaurant there to pay respects to a retired Ministry of Justice official and left after a brief stay. Young also denied visiting hot springs in Yilan, saying they
The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Central Evaluation Committee yesterday suspended the membership rights of Tainan City Council Speaker Chiu Li-li (邱莉莉) and Deputy Speaker Lin Chih-chan (林志展) for three years over vote-buying accusations. Vice President and DPP Chairman William Lai (賴清德) last week presided over a meeting of the party’s Central Standing Committee, which handed over Chiu and Lin’s case to the Central Evaluation Committee with the suggestion that their party membership rights be suspended. Chiu and Lin were accused of vote-buying in the local elections in November last year. They were last month summoned by prosecutors for questioning and released on bail for NT$500,000 (US$16,643) and NT$200,000 respectively. Prosecutors on Monday again summoned the two for questioning, before releasing Chiu and Lin on bail of NT$1.5 million and NT$1.2 million respectively. Central Evaluation Committee director Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) yesterday said that the DPP would await the trial’s outcome before taking further action. “The members will be expelled from the party if proven guilty of vote-buying, this is a certainty,” he said. Chiu and Lin said they respected the party’s decision, but hoped it would institute measures to restore their honor should the court prove their innocence. Chiu said the party’s charter and regulations should be respected, adding that the decision comes at a time that allows both men to carry out their duties at the Tainan City Council with neutrality. Asked about the high bail payments, Chiu said they respected the judiciary and would work with prosecutors to the best of their abilities, refusing to make further comments about an ongoing investigation. After the newly elected Tainan City Council convened, Chiu on Dec. 25 defeated then-council speaker Kuo Hsin-liang (郭信良) in a 36-21 vote that saw three Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) councilors break party ranks to back the DPP nominee. Prosecutors earlier this month questioned 11 suspects, including
ELECTRO-SPUN MATERIAL: A research director said that intracorneal implantation of the tiny scaffolding in animals showed it facilitates corneal nerve regeneration
A research team has successfully developed an electro-spun biomaterial that can aid nerve regeneration in the eye, with animal studies demonstrating its effectiveness, National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) said yesterday. The team used poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate), or PBG — a fibrous scaffold — to develop a method to guide nerve growth and stimulate nerve regeneration, NTUH said, adding that the team won this year’s National Innovation Award. The cornea, retina and optic nerve contain a lot of nerve tissue, and nerve damage is the most common reason for vision loss, NTUH’s Department of Ophthalmology said, adding that current methods to regenerate nerve cells and repair damaged optic nerves have limited effect. The research team’s codirector, Chen Wei-li (陳偉勵), a professor in the ophthalmology department, said that the cornea has the highest nerve density of any tissue in the human body, so corneal nerve damage recovery is usually a lengthy process and sometimes the damage is permanent, while treatment costs are high. The research team, consisting of members from the ophthalmology department, National Taiwan University’s (NTU) Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Academia Sinica, spent seven years developing the electro-spun biomaterial, which can be used to build a biomimetic scaffold, Chen said. Intracorneal implantation of PBG in animals showed that it can facilitate corneal nerve regeneration better than other artificial corneas, she said. The PBG, which has built-in neurotransmitter glutamate, is synthesized and fabricated via electrospinning — a method to produce fibers that uses electric forces to manipulate charged threads on a tiny scale — into scaffolds, she said. The aligned fibers guide the growth and extension of nerves, Chen said, adding that animal studies suggest the method can repair 80 to 90 percent of damaged nerves without side effects of inflammation or infection. NTU Department of Materials Science and Engineering professor Su Wei-fang (林唯芳), another codirector of the research
UPDATED PROGRAM: An official said that because economic circumstances vary within households, the definition of a family member would be altered
Rent subsidies are to be available for people as young as 18 under an updated version of an Executive Yuan program to be implemented in April at the earliest. The Executive Yuan last year began a four-year program offering rent subsidies until 2025. The program expands the annual budget for subsidies to NT$30 billion (US$998.57 million) from NT$5.7 billion and broadens eligibility criteria. Three application rounds were held last year starting in July for the monthly subsidy, helping about 280,000 households. Under the current plan, those eligible include single renters aged 20 to 35, couples in their first two years of marriage, families with minor children and economically disadvantaged households. Subsidy amounts vary depending on circumstances. To allow renters flexibility about when they move, the Cabinet’s “Version 2.0” of the program plans to eliminate application deadlines, an official said on condition of anonymity. Funds would also be deposited directly into recipients’ bank accounts, the official said. The age of eligibility would also be lowered to 18 to conform with the new age of majority under the Civil Code to go into effect this year, they said. As household members might have different economic circumstances, Version 2.0 would alter the definition of a family member, they said. The goal of the program would also be adjusted, with the aim of aiding 500,000 households annually, up from 120,000, covering nearly 60 percent of renters, the official said. Although 320,000 applications were received last year, 40,000 were rejected, they said, adding that the Ministry of the Interior would help advise applicants to make sure they fit the criteria. Finalized plans are expected to be announced by the end of this month and implemented in April at the earliest, the official said.
Five cases of online child sexual exploitation were reported per day last year on average, ECPAT Taiwan said yesterday. ECPAT Taiwan, a group dedicated to combating child sexual exploitation, in 1999 set up Web547, a reporting mechanism for online abuse. Last year, 7,967 reports of inappropriate or illegal activity online were reported through the platform, the organization told a news conference in Taipei. Of them, 1,820 involved sexual exploitation of minors, or five reports per day, it said, adding that the figure was a significant increase from the previous year. Many cases involved personal information paired with pornographic images to make them appear authentic, with posts claiming to be seeking dates or intimate partners, it said, adding that it was concerned that children might imitate the posts. One tactic used by predators is to ask minors — usually young boys — to swap lurid images, while others might promise money or gifts for sexual favors, it said. There were also job postings seeking minors above the age of 13 to work as “companions” discussing sexual topics, it said. Through its Web885 counseling line, ECPAT Taiwan handled 115 cases last year, of which 61 involved digital sexual violence. Women represented 64 percent of those affected, with ages ranging from seven to 48, the group said. Thirty-five cases involved sexual blackmail, while 16 involved intimate images, it said. However, only seven people reported their case to the police, the group said, adding that most did not know what to do. Huang Pei-chi (黃佩琪), a student representative from Huajiang Senior High School, said that Taiwan has its own “Nth Rooms,” referring to a high-profile blackmail and cybersex trafficking case in South Korea. Minors curious to explore their sexuality share intimate images through social media, but if something bad happens, they find it hard to trust authorities or social workers out of fear they will be
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) yesterday instructed the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) to develop plans to cooperate with local governments to boost the COVID-19 vaccination rate among elderly people. At a meeting to discuss the global and local COVID-19 situation, the effects of easing border restrictions, as well as the nation’s vaccination coverage, the CECC said that the first and second-dose vaccination coverage rates in Taiwan are about 94 and 88.9 percent respectively, while first and second booster shot coverage rates are about 76.3 and 22.4 percent respectively. The majority of people aged 65 years or older who died from COVID-19 were unvaccinated against the disease or not yet fully vaccinated, so it has released the percentages of unvaccinated people in two age groups — between 65 and 74, and 75 or older — for each administrative region, hoping that local governments would encourage vaccination among elderly people, the CECC said. Chen instructed the CECC to carefully explain the COVID-19 response measures that people are most concerned about, and cooperate with local governments to boost vaccination rates among elderly people and those with higher risk of severe illness from infection. The percentage of unvaccinated people in the 65-to-74 age group was 10.2 percent and 17.7 percent among those aged 75 or older, CECC data published on Monday showed. Hsinchu County had the highest rate of unvaccinated people aged 75 years or older at 22.5 percent, Miaoli County was next at 22 percent, while Hualien County (21.6 percent), Taitung County (21.3 percent) and Penghu County (22.9 percent) completed the top five regions, the data showed. Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC, on Monday said that the center would communicate with local governments, providing methods to boost vaccination rates used by other local administrations with higher coverage rates. It would provide incentives
International flight patronage this year could be about 30 percent of 2019’s figure as the COVID-19 pandemic has eased at home and abroad, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said yesterday. Last year, the number of people who traveled internationally topped 5.78 million, up from 1.02 million in 2021, CAA data showed. Last year’s figure was about 10 percent of what it was in 2019, the agency said. Nearly 1 million people traveled abroad from Jan. 19 to Monday last week, with outbound passengers averaging 40,000 per day, it said. “We estimate that the number of international flight passengers could return to 30 percent of the 2019 level and next year’s air passengers could reach 60 to 70 percent of the 2019 level,” CAA Deputy Director-General Clark Lin (林俊良) said. “International flight passenger volume should fully return to the pre-pandemic levels by 2025.” Asked whether Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport has sufficient ground crew to cope with a surge of international air travelers in the post-pandemic era, Lin said that the agency is closely monitoring the situation. “We hope that the number of ground crew will grow with the rise of international travelers,” he said. Separately, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said that the contractor in charge of building the airport’s third terminal has asked to increase construction costs due to rising raw material prices. The project, which was approved in May 2020, was to cost NT$95.6 billion (US$3.18 billion). About 45 percent of the project has been completed since construction began in 2021, TIAC said. “In the past two years, the cost of construction has continued to rise. The average price index of construction projects has increased by 12.8 percent, with the largest increase in a single month being 22 percent,” it said. “The largest single-month increase in the steel bar and plate index was nearly 60 percent.” “The extra funding that
Colorectal cancer is challenging to diagnose due to the absence of pain in the early stages, but regular checkups can increase the chances of early discovery and boost survival rates, Taipei City Hospital Department of Enterology doctor Hsieh Wen-pin (謝文斌) said. Chinese-language news Web site ET Today on Monday quoted Hsieh after Academia Sinica’s Chu Yun-han (朱雲漢) died aged 67 on Sunday due to colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer has been the most prevalent form of cancer in Taiwan for 15 consecutive years, with more than 17,000 diagnoses annually, ET Today reported, citing data from the Health Promotion Administration (HPA). Colorectal cancer is difficult to diagnose and by the time symptoms become obvious, the cancer has progressed to the middle or terminal stage, Hsieh said. The complex treatment process is a heavy burden for the patient and their family, he said. Regular checkups can increase the chances of discovering colorectal cancer during its early stages and with proper treatment, the survival rate is above 90 percent, he said. Undergoing fecal occult blood tests every one or two years correlates with decreased mortality rates, bringing down colorectal cancer deaths by 18 to 33 percent, he said, citing studies in Europe and the US. Colorectal cancer is most often diagnosed in people aged 60 to 70, Taiwan Adventist Hospital Department of Proctology director Kang Jung-cheng (糠榮誠) told ET Today, adding that younger people who get the disease likely do so due to hereditary factors. People often attribute bloody stool to hemorrhoids, Kang said, adding that if the blood is dark red, it is indicative of colorectal cancer, while bright red indicates hemorrhoids. Fruit and vegetables in the diet, as well as regular exercise, can also decrease the chances of developing colorectal cancer, the HPA said. The agency offers subsidies for people aged 50 to 74 to undergo a free immunochemical fecal occult blood
The first batch of blueberries commercially grown in Taiwan went on sale on Monday at convenience store chain 7-Eleven in a venture seeking to break the nation’s dependence on imports of the highly nutritious fruit. Chiayi County Agricultural Department official Lee Chiu-ying (李秋瑩) said that the blueberries were grown in the county’s Fanlu Township (番路). The Taiwan Blueberry Team was founded in 2016 and collaborated with Li Kuo-tan (李國譚), a professor in National Taiwan University’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, to adapt techniques learned from the UK and the US, Lee said. The team overcame weather and environmental limitations to successfully cultivate domestic blueberries at the foot of one of Taiwan’s most famous peaks, he said. Chiayi Agricultural Department head Hsu Chang-min (許彰敏) said that most people associate agriculture in the Alishan (阿里山) area with tea and coffee. He was happy that the Taiwan Blueberry Team set up at the foot of Alishan and introduced the berry to Taiwan’s agricultural scene, Hsu said. Aside from 7-Eleven stores, people can also purchase domestically grown blueberries from the Taiwan Blueberry Web site, www.taiwanblueberry.com. In other news, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday said that about 123 tonnes of Chilean cherries were denied entry into Taiwan after food safety tests showed they had pesticide residue in excess of its standards. Nine shipments from Chile were found to have residue of cyantraniliprole, a broad-spectrum insecticide, after batch-by-batch inspections at the border, said Chen Ching-yu (陳慶裕), an official with the FDA’s Northern Center for Regional Administration. Taiwan only allows cyantraniliprole within its standards in melons, cruciferous vegetables, tea leaves, apples and pears, the FDA said, adding that it is not allowed in imported cherries. Since Jan. 11, all cherries imported from the South American nation have been subject to border testing after fruit shipments were found to be failing safety checks with increased
Taiwanese opera troupe Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Culture Group poses for a picture with officials from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India during their debut performance on Monday in Thrissur, Kerala Province. The Kerala Provincial Government had invited the troupe to attend the International Theatre Festival of Kerala, which began on Sunday and runs until Tuesday next week.
Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Chairman Su Jia-chyuan, left, shakes hands with Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chairman Mitsuo Ohashi in Tokyo yesterday at the closing of the 46th Taiwan-Japan Economic and Trade Conference, which was held in person for the first time in three years. Participants discussed semiconductors, energy and supply chain cooperation.
People look at cherry blossoms at Wuling Farm in Taichung’s Heping District yesterday. The blossom season, which began yesterday, is expected to last the whole month. The farm had folk music performances as part of promotions aimed at attracting older people to visit.
END OF SERIES: As the first generation of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are set to expire, the CECC would no longer offer them to children younger than four years old
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported the nation’s first case of a person infected with the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant of SARS-CoV-2. The Taiwanese man in his 20s arrived from Canada on Jan. 22, said Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), who is deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division. He tested positive after reporting having a runny nose and muscle soreness while in airport quarantine, Lo said. The XBB.1.5 subvariant is the dominant strain in the US, but there is no evidence to suggest that it causes more severe illness than other Omicron subvariants, he said, adding that the center would continue to monitor the strain. Genome sequencing data from last week showed that the Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant remains the dominant strain in Taiwan, making up 65 percent of the sequenced local cases, he said. The previously dominant BA.5 strain only accounted for 17 percent of the local cases last week, while BQ.1 and BA.2 were each responsible for 9 percent, Lo said. Of the sequenced imported cases (not including arrivals from China), up to 42 percent had BA.2.75, followed by 17 percent each with the BQ.1 and BA.2 strains, and 8 percent each with the BF.7, XBB and BA.5 strains, he said. The CECC yesterday reported 16,391 new local cases, 259 imported cases and 63 deaths, adding that the daily case count was 26 percent lower than on Monday last week. Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the center, said that 183,745 new local cases were reported last week, which was 32.1 percent higher than the previous week. The center attributed the rise to the Lunar New Year long holiday from the prior week, as people might have delayed testing themselves or seeking treatment over the holiday, he said. Another possible factor was increased exposure to COVID-19
FIVE GOALS: Shih Chung-liang said he would integrate preventive healthcare into the NHI system to better care for an aging population, while promoting digital health
New National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) plans to improve the agency’s financial situation, he said yesterday, as he takes over in the wake of an alleged data leak. The former deputy minister of health and welfare was appointed last month after a Cabinet reshuffle, and after former NHIA director-general Lee Po-chang (李伯璋) stepped down following the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau’s announcement last month that three NHIA employees had allegedly leaked National Health Insurance (NHI) data from 2009 to last year, potentially to Chinese authorities. At a handover ceremony in Taipei, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said that Shih was qualified to handle the security issue, given his experience supervising the NHIA while deputy health minister and his experience as the ministry’s chief information security officer. Hsueh said that security was being improved at the agency while an investigation continues. Shih said he would focus on five main goals at the agency. He would first seek to integrate the NHI system with preventive and long-term healthcare efforts, to provide more holistic care as Taiwan becomes an aging society, he said. His second task would be to improve the system’s finances, which has been a challenge for each NHIA head, he said. With a budget of more than NT$800 billion (US$26.68 billion), the system is an investment in the public’s health, so the administration needs to thoroughly review how it is used, and include new, advanced medical devices and treatments to provide more efficient and effective healthcare, he said. Third, he would promote digital health, which Lee had greatly expanded and was important during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shih said. That would include upgrading the hospital information system, to assist hospitals in introducing new healthcare models, such as telemedicine, he said. His fourth goal would be the revision of regulations, after the Constitutional Court last
Buddhist Master Hsing Yun (星雲法師), founder of the Kaohsiung-based Buddhist organization Fo Guang Shan, died on Sunday at the age of 95. Fo Guang Shan yesterday confirmed in a statement that Hsing Yun had passed away peacefully at 5pm the previous evening. A memorial service is to be held at Fo Guang Shan’s Cloud Dwelling Building at 9am on Monday next week. Hsing Yun, born as Lee Kuo-shen (李國深) in 1927 to a poor family in China’s Jiangsu Province, became interested in Buddhism at age 12 after visiting Nanjing’s Qixia Temple while on a trip to the city with his mother in an unsuccessful effort to find his father. After taking his religious vows, he graduated from Jiaoshan Buddhist Seminary in 1947. Two years later, he moved to Taiwan, where he taught and was editor-in-chief of the Buddhist publication Humanity Magazine. In 1967, Hsing Yun founded Fo Guang Shan in Kaohsiung as a monastery with the purpose of promoting “the principles of humanistic Buddhism and foster[ing] peace and harmony among all peoples of the world.” Fo Guang Shan gradually expanded into education, charity and media. It also founded more than 300 temples worldwide, as well as Buddhist seminaries, libraries and publishing companies. Beginning in 1991, Hsing Yun established Fo Guang University and Nanhua University in Taiwan, University of the West in the US, Nan Tien Institute in Australia and Guang Ming College in the Philippines. Since 2015, the five institutions have offered cross-enrollment and exchange programs as part of the Fo Guang Shan University Consortium. In the past few decades, Hsing Yun also became increasingly involved in China, where he donated funds for the construction of temples and libraries, ran educational and cultural programs, and promoted cross-strait exchanges. After suffering strokes in 2011 and 2016, Hsing Yun’s health deteriorated and he began making fewer public appearances. He officially stepped down as
The Control Yuan has censured the Ministry of Health and Welfare for failing to allocate sufficient resources toward helping children with developmental disorders. Despite a significant rise in the number of children diagnosed with developmental disorders in the past few years, the ministry has yet to recognize the severity of the situation, a Control Yuan report released last month showed. The number of children with cognitive or emotional disorders has grown to account for 7 percent of the physically and mentally challenged population, it said. IGNORED Nevertheless, the ministry has not conducted a study on the matter nor sought to improve its processes after a previous corrective measure issued by the Control Yuan in 2018, it said. The ministry’s efforts to integrate people with physical disabilities into community service networks over the past few years have not considered the needs of those with emotional disorders, the report said. OBSTACLES Some programs have made it more complicated for people with developmental disorders, with some people with emotional disabilities being rejected by service agencies, it said. People with emotional disorders often find it difficult to express themselves verbally, and their anxiety and frustration sometimes leads to panic attacks, lashing out at others or committing self-harm, it said. They need better support, but institutional or community support programs are lacking, and often make it difficult for a family’s designated caretaker to leave the home, the report said. TOO SMALL Ministry projects seeking to help those with emotional disorders are too small in scale, functioning more like projects that are in a trial phase rather than full-fledged programs, it said, adding that the programs lack planning, have little to no inter-project transition and require stable funding. These shortcomings make it even more difficult for the projects to retain experienced personnel, it said. The report says that the Executive Yuan should assess the programs’ efficacy, and provide long-term
REAL CONCERN: High-altitude surveillance balloons are able to detect and collect atmospheric data related to artillery, ‘Defense International’ magazine’s director said
Any Chinese “spy” balloon flying through Taiwan’s airspace should be taken down, Democratic Progressive Party caucus director Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) said yesterday. A US fighter jet on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon using an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile after it was detected flying over the US on Thursday. While China said the balloon ended up in the US’ airspace after being blown off course, the world believes that is unlikely, as China is capable of maneuvering balloon satellites, Cheng said. The balloon demonstrates China’s expansionist ambitions, he said. Instead of using balloons, China has been openly carrying out actual threats against Taiwan that involve military aircraft, naval vessels and even missiles, Cheng said. Some pro-unification advocates in Taiwan considered the incident an opportunity for Taiwan to show friendliness to China, which was “a terrible insult to Taiwan,” he said. Their view also sent the wrong signal regarding Taiwan’s international status and sovereignty, and could undermine the international community’s respect for the nation, Cheng said. China’s ambition to invade Taiwan is more serious than sending in a balloon, he said. “If a Chinese spy balloon drifted into Taiwan’s territory, I would say it should be shot down,” Cheng said, adding that shooting down the device would not be an act of provocation, as “it should not be there in the first place.” He called on all political parties to take a united stand on the matter to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty, dignity, democratic system, economic development and way of life. Separately, Institute of National Defense and Security Research director Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) and Defence International magazine director Chen Kuo-ming (陳國銘) on Sunday said that high-altitude surveillance balloons can detect and collect atmospheric data related to artillery. The US waited until the balloon flew to the open sea before shooting it down to ensure the safety of the people on the
‘NO TRUE FREEDOM’: After saying he might run for NPP chair, Chung Wei-ting was barred from Bilibili and Sina Weibo, on which he has millions of subscribers
Chinese social media sites Sina Weibo and Bilibili on Saturday blocked Taiwanese Internet celebrity Chung Wei-ting (仲惟鼎), also known as AmoGood (谷阿莫), from accessing his accounts after he announced a potential bid to run in the election for chairman of the pro-independence New Power Party (NPP). “As a political party in a democratic country, we welcome all party members to exercise their rights and participate in party elections,” NPP Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) said yesterday. “He was banned from accessing his own Sina Weibo account simply because he [wants to run] for NPP chairman. This shows the difference between Taiwan and China: Taiwanese people have the protected right of free speech, while Chinese people cannot enjoy democracy and freedom under the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] regime.” As an NPP member, Chung has the right to run in the elections for members of the party’s central decisionmaking committee and party chairman, NPP caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said. Chung would have to be elected to the 15-member committee before he qualifies to run as chairman. Chung’s participation in party elections “should be affirmed and encouraged,” and “shows Taiwan is a diverse and democratic society,” Chiu said. “The freedom of speech of those who support Taiwan independence or even becoming a state of the US should all be protected,” he said. “Why China would think that Taiwanese people or Internet celebrities would not support an independent Taiwan is beyond me, and this shows China has a long way to go before it becomes a truly democratic state.” Chung, who is known for his irreverent movie reviews, is involved in several copyright infringement lawsuits. “As a person who is entering politics, Chung must be ready to have every aspect of his life examined by the public. He owes the public an explanation [for the copyright
RSS