The mass arrests in Hong Kong and the storming of the US Capitol in Washington “remind us once again of the preciousness and fragility of the democratic system,” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said yesterday.
“Whether it is people’s violent obstruction of the parliamentary review process or the government’s arrest of pro-democracy figures, they are blows to democratic values,” he said in a statement on Facebook.
“These setbacks further confirm that the development and consolidation of democratic politics needs to be rooted in the people and based on the rule of law,” he wrote.
While political ideas might differ, faith in the democratic system should remain unchanged, he added.
“We hope that this turmoil that has continued for months since the end of the US presidential election will ultimately end peacefully,” he said.
He also urged the Hong Kong government and Beijing authorities “to understand the desire of pro-democracy figures to implement democracy in Hong Kong.”
On Wednesday, the KMT issued a statement warning that a loss of faith in Hong Kong’s autonomy and the transparency of its administrative procedures would have ramifications beyond the territory’s borders.
The KMT “expresses grave concern” over the arrests by the Hong Kong police of more than 50 pro-democracy advocates suspected of breaching Hong Kong’s National Security Law, the statement said.
“The KMT would be very disappointed to see the aftermath of law enforcement by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region [HKSAR Government] bringing about a chilling effect or substantially restricting Hong Kong’s democratic development,” it said.
It urged Beijing and Hong Kong authorities “to be prudent and tolerant when dealing with the issues of Hong Kong’s freedom and democracy.”
It called on the Hong Kong government to be “extremely cautious” in enforcing the legislation, adding that the crime of “subverting state power” must come with “the strictest definition.”
“After all, if people no longer have faith in Hong Kong’s autonomy and the transparency of its administrative procedures, not only will Hong Kong’s democracy and freedom be harmed, cross-strait relations will also be negatively impacted,” the statement said.
“#Beijing and the #HKSAR Government must tread carefully,” Chiang wrote on Wednesday on Twitter. “They must not demolish nor restrict #HongKong’s future development of #freedom and #democracy.”
Former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), a former KMT chairman who is widely expected to run for the post again, said on Facebook yesterday that people should help Hong Kongers in demanding the return of “the spirit of human rights, democracy, freedom and rule of law.”
“The two powers, whether it is the leaders of Washington or Beijing, should take responsibility and let the shattered world that has gone through 2020 return to the path of reason and stability,” Chu said.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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