A group of 13 protesters from Hong Kong, Macau and the US yesterday marched to the Presidential Office to demand President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) resignation over what they called his failure to safeguard the Republic of China’s (ROC) sovereignty over the disputed Diaoyutai Islands.
The group also lodged a protest in front of the Interchange Association, Japan’s de facto embassy, yesterday morning.
Chinese Association for Protecting Diaoyutai spokesman James Hu (胡卜凱) said the group’s annual visit to the island chain on Monday night had been undermined by the government after the owner of the ship that was to take them received pressure from government officials.
The ship owner received several visits from government officials who threatened to revoke his fishing license and enforce stricter rules on all fishing companies in Shenao Port (深澳) if he agreed to set sail with the association’s members, the group said.
Leung Kwok-hung (梁國雄), a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, said last week that the Chinese government had ordered the Hong Kong “defenders of Diaoyutai” to turn their ship back while en route to the island chain.
The islands remain a bone of contention between China, Japan and Taiwan, who all claim sovereignty over the islands.
Hu said that during a meeting with National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi (蘇起) last week, Su advised the group against traveling to the area because several Japanese vessels were patrolling the waters around the islands and asked the group to postpone their annual visit until next month or July.
“But at the moment, it looks like we will not be able to set sail anytime in the future,” said Hu, calling Ma a traitor in cahoots with China to hand over the Diaoyutai to Japan.
Last June, the government dispatched several coast guard ships to escort the group when it went to the Diaoyutai.
Vicky Ching (郭譽珮) resident of California’s Bay Area, said that during the campaign trail, Ma repeatedly defended the ROC’s sovereign claims to the island chain to woo votes, “but now that he has become president, he is cooperating with China to give the Diaoyutai away to Japan.”
Ching and her husband, Hsiang Wu-chung (項武忠), who participated in the “protect Diaoyutai” movement 30 years ago, along with eight others, marched to the Presidential Office to demand to see Ma.
At press time, Ching and Hsiang were still at the Presidential Office and said they would not leave until they saw Ma face-to-face.
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