The Chinese government was behind an attack on nine Falun Gong practitioners in South Africa last month, the director of the Taiwanese branch of the organization, Chang Ching-hsi (
"We want to bring these terrorist actions to the attention of the free world," he said at a press conference.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Cho-shui (
PHOTO: CNA
"The Chinese authoritarian government has always used violent, repressive measures against its people within the country, but with this incident, they have applied the same atrocious methods on foreign soil," Lin said.
Nine Chinese Falun Gong practitioners from Australia were on their way to protest the arrival of Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong (
Five bullets hit the car, and driver David Liang (
According to South African newspapers, the investigation into the shooting is still in its early stages and it is too early to speculate on motives for the attack.
Chang said that the incident seemed designed to terrorize and could not be a robbery or an assassination attempt.
"By speeding off after the shooting, they proved they were not after money. Furthermore, they did not target individuals, but used a wild spray of bullets," Chang said, adding that the Chinese government should be condemned for its crimes against human rights.
"The Chinese government has a special department within 32 of its embassies worldwide created for the express purpose of undermining the reputation and livelihood of Falun Gong practitioners abroad," said Theresa Chu (
The group has brought lawsuits against former Chinese president Jiang and his followers in seven countries, including the US and Taiwan. It is also pursuing lawsuits in the International Criminal Court and lobbying for support from the UN Commission on Human Rights, Chu said.
Lin compared the attack in South Africa to the methods employed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in the years after World War II.
"This shooting reminds me in particular of the Jiang Nan Incident [the assassination of the writer Henry Liu]," he said. "It is truly hard to believe that, decades later, another ethnically Chinese government has committed such a similar crime on international soil."
Saying the incident humiliated all Chinese worldwide, Lin stressed the importance of this issue to Taiwan.
"When our government opens negotiations with China, we must address the issue of China's human rights violations. Once we institute direct transportation links with China, we will be in grave danger of similar persecution," he said.
Fellow DPP Legislator Lin Cheng-moh (
"But today, I Kuan Tao is everywhere, so I believe the followers of Falun Gong will also triumph in the end," he said.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), which earlier this week became the first Taiwanese novel to win the International Booker Prize, is to be adapted into a television series through a Taiwan-Japan coproduction, producer Chang Chen-yu (張辰漁) said yesterday. Chang, a producer at World Softest Production Film Co, wrote on Facebook that the company had been searching for projects with international appeal that retain a strong Taiwanese identity after colleagues and Japanese partners strongly recommended the novel. After reading the book, Chang said he immediately decided to pursue the screen rights. “A great story has the power to transcend time and borders, and connect countless people,”
RSS