The Kinmen Defense Command (KDC) unveiled a cenotaph on Tuesday to commemorate the late Lieutenant Colonel Frank Lynn of the US, who died in a Chinese artillery bombardment on Sept. 3, 1954, on Kinmen.
The monument was erected at Shueitou Wharf (水頭港) to mark the 57th anniversary of the attack and highlight the history of Taiwan-US friendship and the alliance that fought for democratic freedom, KDC officials said.
It was placed next to the cenotaph of Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Medendorp, which was installed at the wharf in August 1992. Medendorp was killed in the same bombing.
Photo: CNA
Aside from being an expression of gratitude, the cenotaphs are a reminder to future generations to treasure freedom and democracy and to help strengthen friendly relations between Taiwan and the US, said General Lee Hsiang-chou (李翔宙), who presided over the ceremony.
Chris Patton, a liaison officer at the American Institute in Taiwan, thanked Taiwan for constructing the monuments and saluting the officers for their sacrifice.
The cenotaphs are a witnesses to Taiwan’s role in maintaining peace in Asia and an emblem for fighters of peace, Patton said.
The cross-strait conflict of 1954 was an attempt by China to deter Taiwan from signing a bilateral security agreement with the US. The Chinese communists fired more than 100 artillery shells at Kinmen from military bases in Fujian Province.
KDC officials said the two Americans, who had volunteered to serve in Taiwan, sacrificed themselves for peace and justice, and their deaths indirectly hastened the signing of the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty between the Republic of China and the US in December 1954, which helped protect Taiwan from being invaded by China.
The treaty was terminated in 1980, a year after the US established diplomatic relations with China.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai