Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday called on the leader of the campaign to oust President Chen Shui-bian (
The protest has been billed as the climax of a campaign urging Chen to resign over allegations that his family and members of his inner circle abused their relationship to him for personal financial gain.
The protesters have been told to wear red to symbolize their anger at Chen as they surround the sprawling Presidential Office building and nearby Ketagalan Boulevard where thousands of foreign and local dignitaries and students are scheduled to hold an official ceremony.
"[Shih] Ming-teh (
Lu said that she hoped Shih and his supporters would not do anything radical that would undermine the nation's dignity and tarnish its image on one of its most important holidays.
Lu made the remarks yesterday afternoon while addressing a religious ceremony in Taitung County.
Shih has called on 2 million protesters to join him in a "siege" tomorrow of the Presidential Office building from four directions.
Organizers claimed that the target of the siege will be the president alone, not the Double Ten National Day celebration nor the attending guests.
Lu said that life is short and one must make the most of it. Individuals must also take into consideration that when the day comes, he or she does not have any regrets.
"Don't envy me or President A-Bian [Chen's nickname] because we are the ones who bear the plight of the nation's 23 million people," she said. "The higher the position, the bigger the risk and the harsher the criticism. The President and I are willing to accept all criticisms with an open mind."
While she and Chen have exerted themselves to make the country a better place, she said some people are still unsatisfied.
"We can only make more effort to do a better job," she said.
In related news, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned yesterday that China could launch a fresh diplomatic attempt to lure away allies from the island as it prepares to celebrate Double Ten National Day.
Ministry Spokesman Michel Lu (
He said Beijing had changed its behavior in recent years, often aggressively courting Taipei's diplomatic partners.
"The Chinese Communists have repeatedly chosen some dates that are critical to Taiwan to announce their diplomatic offensives," he said.
"Their purpose is aimed at embarrassing Taiwan," Michael Lu said, in what he called Beijing's "zero-sum" game to squeeze Taipei's international space.
Also see stories:
Police organize forces for planned `siege'
Wang prays for a smooth Double Ten National Day
Analysis: Yu's raising of sovereignty issue linked to personal goals
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central
RSS