Several pan-green civic groups yesterday urged president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to hold a referendum on whether the Liberty Square and National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall should revert back to their old names.
"We urge Ma to consider holding a referendum on the name change issue. This could be a prime opportunity to show the [new] administration's ability to rise above ideology and promote ethnic reconciliation," the advocates said, using Ma's campaign slogan "Are you ready?" to question his readiness to let the public decide the fate of the hall.
LESSON
Huang Luo-fei (
The renaming of the hall and the plaza that surrounds the mausoleum sparked a nationwide controversy last May when it was first announced.
While some believe it was a necessary move as part of transitional justice, others accused the Democratic Progressive Party of stirring up ethnic tension to rally voters ahead of the legislative elections in January and the presidential poll last month.
RESPECT
Peng Yang-kai (
"It is not that we don't respect the original statues in CKS Hall or the dilemma that it presents. But we believe that no matter what decision we make, we must be able to stand blameless before future generations," he said.
Yang Chih-bing (楊志彬), the secretary-general of the Community Empowering Society, urged Ma to remember the historical significance and the symbolism behind the hall and cherish a golden opportunity to bring reconciliation amid the "ethnic" and "racial tension" that exists in Taiwan.
Upon its completion next year, the new Tamkang Bridge (淡江大橋) in New Taipei City is to be an important landmark in Taiwan, alongside Taipei 101, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said today. The bridge is scheduled to be completed in December next year and open to the public in the first half of 2026, connecting New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里) districts. It is an asymmetric single-tower suspension bridge, nearly 70 stories tall, designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. The bridge aims to alleviate traffic in Tamsui and on the Guandu Bridge (關渡大橋), in addition to increasing the
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
EXERCISES: A 2022 article by a Chinese intelligence expert identified at least six People’s Liberation Army assault boats hidden inside the Hong Kong-flagged ship A Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship that had been docked at Taichung Port and which previously took part in Chinese military exercises departed from the port on Saturday, the Taiwan International Ports Corp’s Taichung branch said yesterday. The statement came in response to a post on the social media platform X by Taiwan-based journalist Chris Horton that said the ship, the SCSC Fortune, had been docked at the port since Tuesday and questioned whether Taiwan has any rules regarding foreign civilian vessels that have participated in People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercises. Horton referenced a 2022 article by Chinese intelligence expert Rod Lee that
PROBLEMATIC: Popular hotpot restaurant chains were among the list of restaurants that failed the inspection and have been ordered to remove bad ingredients The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of hotpot ingredients in hotpot restaurants resulted in a 16.7 percent failure rate. Eight vegetables had excessive pesticide residue and two other items had aflatoxin and excessive preservatives. As the weather is getting colder, more people eat at hotpot restaurants so a random inspection of ingredients was conducted in October to ensure food safety, the department said. Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) said 60 different ingredients were tested: 15 high-risk vegetables, 15 processed food items, 10 soy-based food items, five meat items, five lamb items, five seafood items and five peanut powder