Taiwan civic groups protest authorities' move to seek dissolution of pro-reunification party

TAIPEI -- More than 20 civic groups in Taiwan have issued a joint statement strongly opposing the Democratic Progressive Party authorities' move to seek the dissolution of the Chinese Unification Promotion Party.

The groups, including Taiwan's Labor Party and the Cross-Strait Peaceful Development Forum, said the move was a dangerous signal that the DPP authorities were abusing state power to suppress political opponents and called for an immediate withdrawal of the dissolution application.

In the statement, the groups accused the DPP authorities of stigmatizing groups that support reunification as "agents of external forces" simply because of political differences, calling the move a political crackdown.

The statement called on all sectors of society to oppose judicial persecution. It said peaceful development of cross-Strait relations was closely related to the livelihoods of ordinary people in Taiwan, and that regular civilian exchanges across the Strait should not be routinely stigmatized.

The groups urged the authorities to stop political maneuvering and focus on addressing social and livelihood challenges.

The statement put forward several demands, including upholding the principle that advocating reunification is not a crime, rejecting confrontation and division, and focusing on grassroots livelihoods.