Amid growing outrage over China's "anti-secession" legislation, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) announced yesterday that it will ask the government to make March 14 -- the date the law was passed -- "Anti-aggression Day," to remind people of the looming peril.
The DPP reached the resolution in its weekly Central Standing Committee meeting yesterday afternoon. DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) had announced the decision earlier in the day when he attended a seminar on the impact of the Chinese legislation, saying setting aside a day is a way to unite the will of the Taiwanese people.
"China's anti-secession law violates the UN Charter and sabotages peace in the Taiwan Strait. It is an invasive action that is spurned by all people of Taiwan," Su said. "I will ask our legislative caucus to propose a motion to make March 14 `Anti-Aggression Day.'"
Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) echoed Su's suggestion when responding to lawmakers' questions in the the Legislative Yuan.
"Having a memorial day to highlight Taiwan's determination to defend its sovereignty is not a bad idea," Hsieh said. "But I think the name of the day needs to be discussed and it could not be a red-letter day."
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) suggested making March 14 a memorial day on Monday.
Meanwhile, the DPP has ordered its party branches and legislators to mobilize supporters for the March 26 protest against China's "anti-secession" law.
"The DPP's goal is to get at least 200,000 people to participate in the march," DPP Secretary-General Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) said. "This would be a small part of the turnout. We hope this massive march will be an unprecedented one that unites different groups of people in Taiwan."
Lee said that "democracy, peace and defending Taiwan" will be the theme of the march, adding that the pro-independence groups' long-term goal of "correcting the nation's official name and making a new constitution for the nation" would not be a theme.
Whether President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will join the march was a question that DPP officials heard all day yesterday. Su said that Chen has made up his own mind about attending.
"I believe that President Chen will stand in the best position on that day," Su said.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun said whether or not Chen attends the demonstration is not important.
"What counts is the presentation of the Taiwanese people's resolution," Yu said.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
RSS