One day after the pan-blue camp announced it would organize a million person rally on March 13, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday denied the rally was aimed at countering the pan-green camp's momentum in the wake of the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally.
"The 313 rally is not meant to counter the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally, and is an activity that has been planned since the election campaign kicked off," Lien said at a press conference.
The success of the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally has evoked a sense of crisis in the pan-blue camp, since the two presidential candidates are running neck and neck in opinion polls, with President Chen Shui-bian (
According to local Chinese-language news reports, high-ranking members of the pan-blue camp have been worried about Lien's performance and decided on Monday evening that the pan-blue camp will launch a large-scale campaign rally on March 13, and aim to mobilize over 1 million people.
According to People First Party (PFP) Legislator Pang Chien-kuo (龐建國), who is also the campaign spokesman for the pan-blue camp, the 313 Rally will promote anti-"black gold" and anti-corruption efforts under the slogan "vote for change."
The leadership hopes to thereby boost the pan-blue camp's morale and increase its momentum.
The participants will shout out slogans such as "320, change the president" and "down with `black gold,' save Taiwan" at 3:20pm in northern, central and southern Taiwan simultaneously, Pang said.
Pang said they expect that each pan-blue legislator and city councilor will be able to mobilize around 500 supporters, as well as design special costumes for the participants.
PFP Chairman James Soong (
As for details about locations and transportation, the pan-blue camp said it has not yet decided on the full details.
"The 313 Rally is actually an expansion of the original campaign rally idea, since the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally made an impression on the KMT-PFP alliance," Pang said.
"We've gotten many comments from our supporters that they want to have a similar campaign rally so that they can show their enthusiasm for their candidates," Pang said.
Democratic Progressive Party campaign spokesperson Wu Nai-jen (
Pang said that the pan-blue camp would welcome supporters of Chen should they choose to join the 313 Rally, as long as they obey the regulations set by the KMT-PFP alliance.
Former president Lee Teng-hui (
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
RSS