A concert commemorating the anniversary of the Dapu incident was held in Miaoli County last evening, with the sponsors saying the event was aimed not only at remembering what had been lost and learned during the past year, but at sending a message to the government that the public will never forget the government brutality shown in the incident.
On July 18 last year, four houses in Dapu Borough (大埔) in Miaoli County’s Jhunan Township (竹南) were demolished against the will of their owners to make way for a controversial science park extension project.
The incident eventually led to the death of the owner of the Chang Pharmacy, Chang Sen-wen (張森文). It remains unclear whether Chang committed suicide.
The Dapu incident has become a symbol of how the public are fighting to help themselves, the Protect Miaoli Youth Alliance said yesterday.
Although the alliance had been praised for organizing the commemoration event, it was the four families who held out against government oppression who were the ones who should be honored, the alliance said.
The alliance said it would stand side by side with the four families until their homes have been restored.
While the main focus of the commemorative effort was the concert in Dapu — which was held near the disputed site — other activities included creating a wall painting and a photographic record of all attendees in a show of solidarity against the Dapu incident, the alliance said.
Lawyer Chan Shun-kui (詹順貴) and movie director Ko I-chen (柯一正) were among the speakers at the concert, which also featured a performance by dancer Hsiao Tzu-han (蕭紫菡).
Alliance organizer Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷) yesterday wrote on Facebook that “to this day the four victimized families of Dapu have not achieved their demands, and despite the progress and gains over the past year, there are some things that have been be forever lost.”
OFFLINE: People who do not wish to register can get the money from select ATMs using their bank card, ID number and National Health Insurance card number Online registration for NT$6,000 (US$196.32) cash payments drawn from last year’s tax surplus is to open today for eligible people whose national ID or permanent residency number ends in either a zero or a one, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. Officials from the ministry revealed which days Taiwanese and eligible foreigners would be able to register for the cash payments at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Online registration is to open tomorrow for those whose number ends in a two or three; on Friday for those that end in a four or five: on Saturday
TECH PROGRAM: A US official said that an important part of the delegation’s trip would be to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co executives The US is to send officials in charge of chip development to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to promote cooperation in the global semiconductor supply chain, the US Department of Commerce said on Tuesday. Chips Program Office Director Michael Schmidt announced the visit, which marks the first time officials from the office are to visit the three nations since it was set up in September last year. “As semiconductors and technologies continue to evolve, the United States will keep working with allies and partners to develop coordinated strategies to ensure that malign actors cannot use the latest technologies to undermine our collective
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) officials are investigating why a Starlux Airlines flight to Penang, Malaysia, returned to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport nearly two hours after takeoff yesterday morning. The airline said in a statement that Flight JX721 to Penang took off from Taoyuan airport at 9:20am. “After the dashboard showed a signal of an abnormality in the hydraulic system, the captain followed standard operating procedures and returned the flight to Taoyuan airport for safety precautions,” the airline said, adding that the flight landed safely at the airport at 11:04am. The airline arranged for the passengers to have lunch after the flight landed and
WORKING UP AN APPETITE: Sales at the Rueifong Night Market surged 20 to 30 percent, while seats at Liouhe Night Market were packed until 1am, market officials said South Korean pop band Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend in Kaohsiung helped draw large crowds to local night markets, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday. The two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Kaohsiung National Stadium drew more than 90,000 people. The city government offered NT$50 vouchers to spend locally to concertgoers who showed their ticket stubs. Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) management committee head Chuang Chi-chang (莊其章) said that crowds over the weekend surged at about 10pm and the market remained packed until 1:30am. “Almost all the seats were filled,” Chuang said. Night market stall owners had stocked up in expectation of an increased number
RSS