The original James Bond, veteran actor Sean Connery, is rumored to be coming to Taiwan to join the "228 Hand-in-Hand Rally" slated to take place on Feb. 28 as a symbol of determination and unity of the people of Taiwan in protecting Taiwan from China's missile threats, the organizer of the event said yesterday.
"The chances are good that Sean Connery will come to Taiwan to join the `228 Hand-in-Hand Rally' if everything goes as scheduled," Peter Wang (
Wang yesterday revealed that the Presidential Office was behind the invitation to Connery, who met President Chen Shui-bian (
"The idea of inviting Sean Connery to visit Taiwan started at that time," Wang said.
Wang noted that Connery is expected to announce his itinerary at a press conference in Tokyo on Feb. 26 and will appear on stage in front of the Presidential Office at 2:28pm on Feb. 28.
However, spokesman for the DPP's campaign headquarters Wu Nai-jen (
"There are many important guests the organizer is trying to invite to participate in this activity, but we are not definite at this point who the guests are and what kind of promises have been made," Wu said.
During the centennial celebration in Panama last November, Connery took the initiative in approaching Chen by asking an unspecified ambassador to Panama to arrange a meeting with Chen.
In their meeting, Connery was quoted as having said that he was a fan of the president. For his part, Chen said he was a loyal Sean Connery fan.
"You have numerous fans in Taiwan and are welcome to visit any time," Chen told Connery, who starred as the charismatic spy 007 in several James Bond films, including Dr. No (1962), Goldfinger (1964) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971).
The chain will take place on 228 Memorial Day, with people from around the country joining hands to form a colossal human chain 500km long along the west coast and shouting "Taiwan yes, China no!" at 2:28pm.
The 228 Memorial Day is in memory of the victims killed during an uprising on Feb. 28, 1947 by native Taiwanese to protest against the corrupt Chinese Nationlist Party regime.
Connery is known for his passionate support of Scotland's independence and has publicly advocated its seperation from England, although he was knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth in 2000.
Though Connery is a native of Scotland and bears a tattoo proclaiming "Scotland Forever," he does not reside there. He had once publicly said in March last year that he believes Scotland will one day become independent and only then will he move back to Scotland with his wife.
EUROPEAN TARGETS: The planned Munich center would support TSMC’s European customers to design high-performance, energy-efficient chips, an executive said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday said that it plans to launch a new research-and-development (R&D) center in Munich, Germany, next quarter to assist customers with chip design. TSMC Europe president Paul de Bot made the announcement during a technology symposium in Amsterdam on Tuesday, the chipmaker said. The new Munich center would be the firm’s first chip designing center in Europe, it said. The chipmaker has set up a major R&D center at its base of operations in Hsinchu and plans to create a new one in the US to provide services for major US customers,
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday said that it would redesign the written portion of the driver’s license exam to make it more rigorous. “We hope that the exam can assess drivers’ understanding of traffic rules, particularly those who take the driver’s license test for the first time. In the past, drivers only needed to cram a book of test questions to pass the written exam,” Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told a news conference at the Taoyuan Motor Vehicle Office. “In the future, they would not be able to pass the test unless they study traffic regulations
‘A SURVIVAL QUESTION’: US officials have been urging the opposition KMT and TPP not to block defense spending, especially the special defense budget, an official said The US plans to ramp up weapons sales to Taiwan to a level exceeding US President Donald Trump’s first term as part of an effort to deter China as it intensifies military pressure on the nation, two US officials said on condition of anonymity. If US arms sales do accelerate, it could ease worries about the extent of Trump’s commitment to Taiwan. It would also add new friction to the tense US-China relationship. The officials said they expect US approvals for weapons sales to Taiwan over the next four years to surpass those in Trump’s first term, with one of them saying
‘COMING MENACINGLY’: The CDC advised wearing a mask when visiting hospitals or long-term care centers, on public transportation and in crowded indoor venues Hospital visits for COVID-19 last week increased by 113 percent to 41,402, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, as it encouraged people to wear a mask in three public settings to prevent infection. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said weekly hospital visits for COVID-19 have been increasing for seven consecutive weeks, and 102 severe COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths were confirmed last week, both the highest weekly numbers this year. CDC physician Lee Tsung-han (李宗翰) said the youngest person hospitalized due to the disease this year was reported last week, a one-month-old baby, who does not