The military said yesterday it would remove all remaining military guards of honor and military police from the mausoleums of former presidents Chiang Kai-shek (
The Ministry of National Defense said 80 honor guards and military police are currently stationed at Chiang Kai-shek's mausoleum, with another 35 at Chiang Ching-kuo's.
Ministry officials said they would also close the two mausoleums amid concerns they might be vandalized after military personnel are withdrawn from the sites.
The ministry confirmed that officials had begun talks with the Taoyuan County Government about taking over the running of the two sites as they are popular tourist attractions. The county government has yet to decide when it will take over, and the ministry will continue maintenance work at the two sites until the change of jurisdiction.
During the interval, Taoyuan Police Department said it might take over the military police's duties at the mausoleums.
"We are ready. But we are waiting for the order from the county government," said Lin Teh-hua (
Meanwhile, the government will change the way it refers to the two sites from "mausoleum" to "grave" or "cemetery," Cabinet Spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) said yesterday.
"Mausoleum will not be used in official documents when referring to the place as part of the government's efforts to advance transitional justice," Shieh said.
He said the government had done all it could for the late presidents and called on the public not to politicize the changes, which he said were "necessary processes for the country to achieve normalization."
The Presidential Office has urged the Chiang family to relocate the remains to a tomb at the Wuchihshan Military Cemetery (
The Chiang family made a request to the military in 2004 that the remains be transferred to Wuchihshan, where Chiang Kai-shek's other son, Weigo Chiang (
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
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
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
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS