US Democratic Congressman Robert Andrews has introduced a resolution calling for support for the people of Taiwan to hold referendums to determine their own future, the Formosan Association of Public Affairs (FAPA) said on Monday.
On Nov. 21, the last day before the US House of Representatives adjourned for the year, Andrews introduced a resolution to "express the sense of the Congress that the people of Taiwan should be able to conduct referendum votes free from intimidation or threat of force," according to FAPA president Wu Ming-chi (吳明基).
The resolution included five major points. The first said the people of Taiwan, and not the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC), should have exclusive responsibility for determining the future of Taiwan.
The second said Taiwan should be able to conduct referendums on issues that will have a direct effect on its quality of life, free from intimidation or threat of force.
The third said the US should support Taiwan as a blossoming democracy, including its adoption of such democratic practices as the use of referendums.
The fourth point said the US should continue to be a strong supporter of Taiwanese membership in the World Health Organization (WHO).
The final point said the US should raise the issue of Taiwanese referendums, including a vote respecting membership in the WHO, at future meetings with Chinese officials.
The FAPA noted in a statement that it is a strong supporter of the notion that the future of Taiwan be solely determined by the people of Taiwan and nobody else.
The idea that the future of Taiwan must be determined "with the assent of the people of Taiwan" did not go far enough, the group's statement said. The word "assent" implies that the Taiwanese people needed to approve or endorse a decision made by the PRC, it added.
"We believe that only the people of Taiwan have the right to determine Taiwan's future -- not the people of the PRC. After all, in 1776, the people of England did not determine the future of America," the statement said.
The statement said recent Chinese rhetoric of using force against Taiwan if it declares independence meant the introduction of the resolution was very timely.
"We at the FAPA will seek to build up support for this resolution and hope we can bring it to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote next March when the actual referendum will take place in Taiwan," it said.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
RSS