Senior Taiwan politician faces more protests, criticism for attending war anniversary parade

Lien Chan, the former chairman of the governing party the Kuomintang in Taiwan, has faced more protests and criticism after he attended the huge military parade in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war.

Protestors threw shoes at members of his entourage as they arrived at Taoyuan airport in Taiwan late on Thursday after attending the event yesterday, the Central News Agency reported. Lien and his wife had already left the airport.

Demonstrators also gathered outside Lien’s home after his return.

Some held banners saying “Lien the traitor” and Lien the red devil”.

A spokesman for President Ma Ying-jeou said he was sad and regretful that people from the island had attended the parade and that they had “failed the nation”, the United Daily News reported.

Taiwan’s government says mainland China has exaggerated the role of communist forces in defeating Japan’s military during the second world war, while downplaying the part played by Nationalist troops.

Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the civil war on the mainland to communist troops.