The daughters of two imprisoned Chinese dissidents yesterday at an international press conference appealed for the government’s assistance to help rescue their fathers, while Taiwanese human rights activists demanded that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) call on Beijing to release 18 political prisoners.
“My father has always seen Taiwan’s democracy as a model for China. Hopefully, the Taiwanese government and the Taiwanese people will not let him down,” Ti-anna Wang (王天安), daughter of activist Wang Bingzhang (王炳章), told a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
The 23-year-old and Lisa Peng (彭佳恩), daughter of jailed activist Peng Ming (彭明), hoped that the government could play a role in demanding the release of their fathers, who have both been sentenced to life in prison.
Receiving his medical doctorate in 1982 in Canada, Wang Bingzhang, 65, organized democracy movements in North America. He was kidnapped in Vietnam in 2002 and given a life sentence in 2003 in a closed trial after being charged with terrorism and spying for Taiwan.
Peng Ming, 57, was kidnapped in Myanmar in 2004 and sentenced to life in prison on terrorism charges, despite of his status as a UN political refugee, said Lisa Peng, who currently lives in the US.
Lisa Peng said her family hope to at least earn the right to visit Peng Ming and provide medical care.
The two women were representing their families, as well the families of another 16 imprisoned dissidents in an effort spearheaded by the International Coalition for Free China 18.
The “China 18” include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波), human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng (高智晟) and several Uighur and Tibetan leaders.
A group of rights activists and lawmakers have joined the cause, holding the public hearing yesterday as well as a similar press conference at the EU parliament in Brussels, three days before a press conference is due to take place at the US Congress.
Taiwan cannot sit on the sidelines as Beijing persistently oppresses human rights and the democratic movement, Taiwan Association for China Human Rights chairman Yang Hsien-hung (楊憲宏) said.
“It is especially the case with Wang [Bingzhang], since he was charged with spying for Taiwan,” Yang said.
The activists submitted three demands, including an international press conference to be held by the Presidential Office on Dec. 10, the International Day for Human Rights, to urge Beijing to release the 18 prisoners.
They also demand that the Straits Exchange Foundation deliver the appeal to visiting Association of Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Chairman Chen Deming (陳德銘) before Chen’s scheduled return to China today.
Additionally, the National Security Bureau should clarify whether or not Wang Bingzhang spied for the government, Yang said.
“If that was not the case, Wang had been falsely convicted and should be freed,” Yang said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) and Yu Mei-nu (尤美女), as well as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖), also appeared at the press conference.
A Keelung high school on Saturday night apologized for using a picture containing a Chinese flag on the cover of the senior yearbook, adding that it has recalled the books and pledged to provide students new ones before graduation on Thursday. Of 309 Affiliated Keelung Maritime Senior High School of National Taiwan Ocean University graduates, 248 had purchased the yearbook. Some students said that the printer committed an outrageous error in including the picture, while others said that nobody would notice such a small flag on the cover. Other students said that they cared more about the photographs of classmates and what was
GOING INTERNATIONAL: Rakuten Girls squad leader Ula Shen said she was surprised that baseball fans outside of Taiwan not only knew of them, but also knew their names Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Oakland Athletics on Saturday hosted its first Taiwanese Heritage Day event at the Oakland Coliseum with a performance by Taiwanese cheerleading squad the Rakuten Girls and a video message from Vice President William Lai (賴清德). The Rakuten Girls, who are the cheerleaders for the CPBL’s Rakuten Monkeys, performed in front of a crowd of more than 2,000 people, followed by a prerecorded address by Lai about Taiwan’s baseball culture and democratic spirit. Taiwanese pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸), who was signed by the Athletics earlier this year, was also present. Mizuki Lin (林襄), considered a “baseball cheerleading goddess” by Taiwanese
A 14-legged giant isopod is the highlight of a new dish at a ramen restaurant in Taipei and it has people lining up — both for pictures and for a bite from this bowl of noodles. Since “The Ramen Boy” launched the limited-edition noodle bowl on Monday last week, declaring in a social media post that it had “finally got this dream ingredient,” more than 100 people have joined a waiting list to dine at the restaurant. “It is so attractive because of its appearance — it looks very cute,” said the 37-year-old owner of the restaurant, who wanted to be
A promotional event for the launch of a drinks store led to police questioning a 26-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), the Taichung Police Department said yesterday. Police said that they questioned Chang and forwarded the case to prosecutors, accusing her of producing, distributing, broadcasting or selling pornography. Police said she faces charges related to the alleged distribution of indecent photographs on Twitter and using overtly sexual innuendos to promote the store on Monday night. Officers stumbled upon the content during a routine Internet “patrol.” Chang faces a prison sentence of up to two years and up to a NT$90,000 fine if found guilty
RSS