Taiwan independence advocates yesterday held a protest near the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, calling on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to change the nation’s name to “Taiwan,” amid heightened international support.
Protesters raised the flag of the Taiwan Republic, one of the groups organizing the event annually on Sept. 8.
Officials in many countries in the past few months made statements in support of Taiwan’s participation in international events, and a Japanese broadcaster introduced the Taiwanese team at the Tokyo Olympics by its proper name, Taiwan Republic Office chairman Chilly Chen (陳峻涵) said.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Republic
“Taiwan is enjoying much international support. In many countries there has been talk about Taiwan, rarely referring to it as the ‘Republic of China,’” Chen said, adding that rectifying the name would lead to Taiwan’s full inclusion in the international community.
The Free Taiwan Party, the Taiwan Association of University Professors, the Taiwan United Nations Alliance and the Taiwan Independence Association also took part in the event.
Taiwan Republic founder Peter Wang (王獻極) said that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Treaty of San Francisco, in which Japan relinquished its claim to Taiwan after World War II, adding that the date should be celebrated as “Taiwan Independence Day.”
After the ceremony, some protesters approached the Presidential Office Building, resulting in a brief standoff with police.
Wang later said he wanted to give President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) a sign saying: “The Presidential Office of Taiwan Nation.”
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
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The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday. When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said. In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system. Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard,
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