Pioneer labor activists urged labor groups to continue fighting for workers' rights yesterday as the Taiwan Labor Front (
"The goal of the Taiwan Labor Front, and labor unions in general, is to assist those who need help the most in our society, such as single mothers and the disabled, who have fewer work opportunities. However, despite the transfer of political power, improvement of labor policy has been minimal since the founding of the Taiwan Labor Front," said Kuo Chi-jen (
Kuo served as a first-term volunteer attorney for the Taiwan Labor Legal Assistance Organization (
The Taiwan Labor Front was founded on May 1, 1984, during the Martial Law era by a group of educated social activists who gathered at Taipei's Gikong Presbyterian Church.
"The Taiwan Labor Front is the country's most important labor organization, as it was the first founded by a handful of educated members who were able to raise awareness of socialist ideology and workers' rights," said Wang Li-hsia (
Several incumbent political heavyweights had been involved with the Taiwan Labor Front, such as President Chen Shui-bian (
"Before the founding of the Taiwan Labor Front, there was no such thing as awareness of workers' issues, as laborers were held in low esteem in our society and they were often too ashamed to tell people what they did for a living," Wang said.
Two of the founding members, Su Ching-li (蘇慶黎) and Yang Chin-chu (楊青矗), were arrested and incarcerated in the aftermath of the Kaohsiung Incident (美麗島事件) for their involvement in social movements.
The Taiwan Labor Front's current president, Lai Wan-Chi (賴萬枝), said the group hopes to propose more forward-looking, complete and feasible policies "in order to further improve the democratization of Taiwan."
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by