Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) last night hosted a banquet in honor of Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), saying Chen’s historic visit would establish a systematic channel for cross-strait negotiations.
Outside the hotel, about 100 independence supporters, including former presidential adviser Ellen Huang (黃越綏) and former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taoyuan County councilor Wu Pao-yu (吳寶玉), protested against Chen’s visit.
Huang, who carried China’s five-star national flag while condemning local police for protecting Chen, fainted as protesters were surrounded by police.
The police called an ambulance and Huang was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Minutes before Chen arrived, Wu had blocked the hotel’s driveway with her car and shouted at the police.
“I will not stop protesting against Chen Yunlin until he apologizes to the Taiwanese people,” Wu said before driving away.
Amid the scuffle with police, Taipei City Councilor Hung Chien-yi (洪健益) of the DPP fell to the ground and was dragged away by police.
Lien, who has developed a personal friendship with Chen after his frequent visits to China since 2005, described Chen and members of the Chinese delegation as “old friends” in a speech at the banquet held at the Ambassador Hotel in Taipei.
Lien was the first KMT heavyweight Chen met during his visit to Taiwan this week.
Lien lauded Chen’s meeting with Chiang, saying the signing of agreements on food safety, direct air and shipping links and direct postal services strengthened the foundation of mutual trust across the Taiwan Strait and promoted a peaceful cross-strait relationship.
He said he expected ARATS and the SEF to continue their efforts.
Chen thanked Lien for initiating cross-strait exchanges by traveling to China in 2005 to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), and said Taiwan was an island with endless creativity and vitality.
“The two sides of the Taiwan Strait finally ended the deadlock and resumed talks that were suspended years ago. We must continue walking down this path more steadily than ever,” Chen said.
Lien presented Chen with a painting by a local artist and Taiwanese food including pineapple cakes and sun cakes. In return, Chen presented Lien with Maotai liquor (茅臺酒) and Chinese red dates.
As Chen and Chinese delegates enjoyed the banquet on the second floor of the hotel, protesters started to gather outside at about 8pm, blocking streets outside the hotel.
Hundreds of police officers, some holding shields, failed to persuade the protesters to leave, and physical clashes ensued.
The scuffle resulted in traffic around the intersection of Zhongshan N Road and Changan W Road becoming jammed.
“I was hit by the police,” “The police are protecting Chinese communists and violating the rights of Taiwanese people!” protesters shouted as they jostled with the police in the street.
The police later entered a record store near the hotel and forced the store, which was playing Taiwanese patriotic songs, to silence the music and close its doors.
The protest did not affect Chen Yunlin, who left the hotel before 9pm and returned to the Grand Hotel.
Chen is scheduled to meet KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) today.
The guests at the banquet included Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤), Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Vice Speaker Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), KMT Vice Chairman Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正), former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村) and his son, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌).
Dozens of KMT legislators, including John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) and Lai Shyi-bao (賴士葆), and business tycoons Morris Chang (張忠謀), founding chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor, and Hon Hai Group (鴻海) chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) also attended the banquet.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS