A political controversy about the upcoming Double Ten National Day celebrations continued yesterday, with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) announcing an alternate event to counter what it called an “evil force” that is attempting to remove the Republic of China (ROC) from this year’s celebrations.
Contrary to past National Day celebrations that were embellished with the ROC flag and title, the vital symbols are missing from this year’s celebration of the ROC’s founding, said Hu Chu-sheng (胡筑生), former secretary-general of the KMT’s Huang Fu-hsing special military veterans’ branch.
“Instead, what we are hearing are chants of Taiwanese independence... We hope to channel all the positive forces of society through our planned event to keep this evil at bay,” Hu told a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
Former minister of national defense Wu Shih-wen (伍世文) said the purpose of the event is to cement public support for the ROC at a time when it is facing setbacks both domestically and internationally.
The event, titled “Love Your National Flag, Love Your Country,” is to be hosted by the KMT and 24 other local and overseas organizations and companies, the event’s organizers said.
It is scheduled to take place in front of the National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei on Tuesday next week.
The event is to feature the national anthem, tributes to ROC founder Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) and remarks by KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), former KMT chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明).
It is the second time the pan-blue camp is holding a separate National Day celebration out of concern that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration is gradually removing the ROC national symbols and instilling a Taiwan-centric mindset in the public.
The KMT said the absence of the ROC flag and title from the government’s design and invitations for this year’s celebrations was proof of its “de-ROC-ization” effort.
Earlier yesterday, the KMT warned the DPP-administered Taichung City Government of the consequences of not incorporating elements of the ROC into the National Day party it is hosting this year.
KMT Taichung City Council caucus whip Lee Chung (李中) said there are no national flags along the city’s streets and preparations for the party bear no signs that it is meant for the ROC’s 106th anniversary.
“The KMT caucus will give the city government a hard time over its budget reimbursement for the party if we do not see a single national flag flying on the day of the event,” Lee said.
The DPP administration has planned a series of events for National Day, including a party at Taichung’s National Taiwan University of Sport on Monday evening next week, as well as a morning ceremony in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, a noon parade in the capital and a fireworks show at Taitung’s Forest Park on the following day.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to host an evening banquet for about 4,000 foreign dignitaries at the Taipei Guest House on Tuesday next week.
Ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said that five of the nation’s 20 diplomatic allies — Tuvalu, Honduras, Paraguay, Saint Lucia and Swaziland — would send high-level officials to the banquet.
Lee said attendees from the nation’s non-diplomatic allies would be disclosed once they are confirmed.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS