The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) aims to collect 2 million signatures by the end of this month for its petition to hold a referendum on Taiwan's UN membership bid, "in the hope that the number would be recognized as a Guinness World Record," a DPP official said yesterday.
So far, 917,000 people have signed the petition in support of a referendum on whether to apply to join the UN under the name Taiwan, DPP Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said.
Lin said he found that the Guinness World Records does not have any referendum-related records.
Claiming that Taiwan has the world's highest threshold for the initiation of referendums, Lin said the DPP will apply to have the signature number listed in the annual reference book after the party achieves its goal of collecting 2 million signatures.
Lin said 60 percent of respondents to a recent DPP-organized opinion poll think the proposed UN bid referendum is very important, while 30 percent did not.
The survey found that nearly 90 percent of pan-green supporters are in favor of the referendum and will turn out for the March presidential election, Lin said.
The petition is the second phase of a procedure in which the DPP is required to obtain the signatures of more than 5 percent of the number of eligible voters in the last presidential election -- more than 825,359 -- after obtaining more than 0.5 percent of the number in the first phase.
The DPP had originally set its target at 1 million signatures. However, its Central Standing Committee raised the target to 2 million on Wednesday.
Taiwan has tried without success to join the UN since 1993. This year was the first time it applied to join under the name "Taiwan."
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
RSS