President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday stood by his pledge to change the names of all relevant government agencies to "Taiwan" to avoid confusing the international community.
Chen made the remarks last night while stumping for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative candidates at a campaign rally in Miaoli County.
PHOTO: TSAI CHANG-SHENG, TAIPEI TIMES
He said that apart from government agencies based in countries that recognize Taiwan, where the national designation will remain "Republic of China," all agencies will change the country's name to "Taiwan" to emphasize the distinction between Taiwan and China.
During a speech endorsing candidates running in the county, Chen told the crowd he would be a lame-duck president if the pan-green camp was not able to control the legislature. He said Taiwan could no longer afford to engage in "social chaos" and allow "one or a couple of persons' hatred exhaust the nation" and prevent it from making any progress.
"On March 20, you gave me a chance with a second term in office. To allow me to do my work as president, I appeal to you for your support and to give me a clear pan-green majority in the new legislature so that I can deliver the promises I made during my re-election campaign," Chen said.
He urged voters to use their ballots on Saturday "to give Taiwan a chance for love, a chance for national unity."
Chen said a pan-green camp majority in the legislature would also strengthen his hand when dealing with China.
Among the other DPP heavyweights who took the stage last night to root for Miaoli candidates Tu Wen-ching (
In a bid for increased support in Miaoli, a region with a high concentration of Hakka residents and a traditional blue-camp stronghold, Yeh -- a Hakka herself -- and Su campaigned on the DPP administration's record of promoting Hakka culture, including the establishment of a dedicated TV channel and departments for Hakka studies in universities.
With Taiwan entering the final days of the campaign, starting today Chen will attend three or four campaign rallies nationwide every day in a last ditch effort to canvass support.
In related news, the director of the DPP's Taipei City headquarters, Huang Ching-lin (
Huang said his office applied for permission last week to hold the event, which is anticipated to attract at least 100,000 supporters.
Locations such as the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Zhongshan Soccer Stadium and the old Sung-shan Tobacco Factory had all been turned down by the Taipei City Government, citing late applications or traffic concerns, Huang said.
Huang said the city government was acting out of political interests, a charge which city government spokesman Yu Tze-hsiang (游梓翔) denied yesterday.
The DPP will continue looking for a more suitable location, Huang said, though the chapter had already booked Shipai Junior High School for the rally, which can only fit 20,000 people.
Also see story:
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
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
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
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