Up to 150,000 people from around the nation yesterday marched on the Presidential Office in Taipei to campaign to change the country's official name to Taiwan.
Chanting "I love Taiwan" and "Taiwan for the UN," marchers converged on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office carrying flags and banners under yesterday's blazing-hot afternoon sun.
Organizers of the event, the Alliance to Campaign for Rectifying the Name of Taiwan, estimated that between 120,000 and 150,000 people took part in the demonstration. Taipei City Police Department said 75,000 attended the march.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
No major disturbances were reported.
Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Surrounded by his family, Lee said, "Our country is not a normal country, as Taiwan is not able to walk its own way based on its own historical and geographical conditions. Over the course of the past centuries, Taiwan has always been influenced by foreign powers so that the people of Taiwan are not able to decide their own national goal and choose their own governmental institutions."
Lee also expressed his personal reasons for championing the campaign's cause.
"As the president of the ROC for 12 years, I found that the most difficult situation that Taiwan faced came from the name `ROC.'" Lee said. "All the diplomatic difficulties and domestic problems evolved around this unrealistic name. That's why after I retired, I wanted to be the national convener of this campaign to allow our nation and the national name to exist according to facts."
Lee said that the facts show that Taiwan has never been a part of the ROC and that the ROC has not existed since the Communist Party ousted the KMT from China.
"The ROC has had no territory but a title since its territory was occupied by the Chinese communists in 1949. Also, it has disappeared from the international community since its seat in the United Nations was replaced by the People's Republic of China in 1971."
Still recovering from last Monday's heart surgery, Lee said, "The land occupied by the ROC actually belongs to the Taiwanese people. I believe one day we will call out aloud the name of our country -- Taiwan."
Vice President Annette Lu (
Organizer Wang Cheng-chung (
The DPP yesterday also drew as many as 30,000 rank-and-file supporters from around the nation to join the rally. Led by deputy secretaries general Lee Ying-yuan (
Also See Stories:
A walk in the sun for `Taiwan'
March sets stage for election battle
Chen keeps his distance from campaign
No need for name change, KMT and PFP leaders say
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
RSS