Taiwanese independence advocates yesterday held a protest outside the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) headquarters in Taipei, saying that KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) is selling out Taiwan and conspiring with China to oust pro-Taiwan politicians.
The protest was headed by Taiwan Republic chairman Chilly Chen (陳峻涵), with independence advocates throwing eggs onto the pavement outside the building.
The advocates called the protest after Chu’s remarks in the wake of the recall of Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) that the KMT would target other lawmakers as well.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Chu said that those who “stand up against China, safeguarding Taiwan” would be targets.
“Elected politicians must face their own constituents, they should not engage in political ideology,” Chu said.
Chilly Chen said that Chu is colluding with Beijing and that he made his statements on behalf of the Chinese government.
“We have reasons to suspect that there is a conspiracy,” he said.
During her Double Ten National Day address, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that Taiwan must defend its sovereignty and democracy amid unprecedented challenges brought by China’s increasing military coercion, Chilly Chen said, adding that polls show that 80 percent of the public support that position.
“Why is Chu and the KMT going against the will of Taiwanese?” Chilly Chen asked, adding that the remarks resembled those made by Beijing in the past months.
The KMT and pan-blue forces have said that one of their targets might be Independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐), who at a separate event chided Chu’s remarks.
“A worldwide alliance of democratic nations, which includes Taiwan, must seriously face up to the challenges” China poses, he said.
“The KMT continues to engage in politics of hatred... We shall face it directly to fight against the recall campaigns,” Lim 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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