Tens of thousands of people yesterday rallied on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei to oppose amendments to the Referendum Act (公民投票法) passed last month.
Protesters shouted “Democracy is dead” and “Give me back the referendum” at the rally, which was organized by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Many attendees waved Republic of China (ROC) flags or banners expressing support for former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu, (朱立倫), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) or Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), contenders in the party’s presidential primary.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The KMT said that “tens of thousands” attended the event.
To maintain order and control traffic, 320 police officers were dispatched to the area.
Democracy and freedom are the most important of Taiwan’s values, but the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has taken away referendums because it did not like last year’s results, Chu told the crowd, referring to referendums held alongside the local elections in November.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
After the KMT unveils the result of its primary poll on Monday next week, “we will have only one goal: Working together,” he said.
“No one should be allowed to run for president against party regulations and betray the party’s democratic mechanisms,” he said.
The DPP should be renamed the “Democratic Backward Party,” as it has turned the act back into the “birdcage act” it was once known as and is promoting authoritarianism, Gou said.
If elected president, he would fight corruption, improve the nation’s economy and “make Taiwan great again,” he said.
With President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to visit the US this month, Gou said he prepared a baseball cap embroidered with her name and an ROC flag for her to wear on the trip.
If Tsai refuses the gift, that would mean that the ROC has no weight in her heart, he said.
“We do not need a president like that,” he said.
Han urged people to “understand the position we are in.”
Taiwanese should have their feet on democracy and freedom, their hands reached out to the world, while being sympathetic and highly aware that hard work is essential given the nation’s limited natural resources, Han said.
“It is the task of our generation to ensure that people have a good life, that Taiwan remains safe and the people have money,” he said.
KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) urged attendees to “only vote for [pan-]blue [camp] candidates,” saying that only the KMT can protect the ROC and people’s rights.
All of the KMT’s presidential primary candidates are brilliant and the party must rally behind the winner of the primary, he said.
Before going on stage, Gou said that Wu had rejected his suggestion to have the candidates sign a pledge on stage to not run for president if they lose the primary.
When asked to comment on the proposal — and the fact that Gou is the only contender to not sign a party contract on the same issue — Han said that he has done his best to meet the KMT’s requirements.
“If other people have a different approach, it is the party’s responsibility to do something,” Han told reporters backstage.
The KMT’s primary poll is scheduled to begin today and end on Sunday.
Additional reporting by CNA
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS