The military plans to launch a large-scale parade of troops in front of the Presidential Office on Double Ten Day of next year, defense sources said yesterday.
The plan for the parade is still at the planning stage, but details are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, sources said.
According to drafts of the plan, thousands of troops will be mobilized for the parade and the armed forces' newest weapons will also be showcased to the public.
The last parade of troops, weapons and other equipment in front of the Presidential Office on Taiwan's national day was held in 1991 during former president Lee Teng-hui's (
It was the largest-ever of its kind in Taiwan's military history, involving more than 38,000 military personnel. Its purpose was to celebrate Lee's election the previous year as the country's eighth president.
Subsequently, no such displays of military might have been held for fear of inflaming delicate cross-strait relations.
A military analyst, who declined to be identified, questioned whether it was appropriate for the military to resume parading troops on national day next year considering that cross-strait relations still hang in the balance.
"We know the military is eager to please President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) with a large-scale troop review next year. We also know next year is the tenth year since the military last held a large-scale parade. It has been a custom for the military to review its troops or perform other types of ceremonial celebrations every five or 10 years," the analyst said.
"The military should not always stay with old customs and old thinking. It should come up with something different if it really wants to impress the president and the public," he said, adding that "goose-stepping is no longer seen in most democratic countries."
Next year's troop review on national day is planned to involve around 3,000 ground troops -- a combination of cadets and soldiers. The cadet corps will be represented by students from the army, air force, navy and political warfare colleges of the military.
The soldiers are to be selected from the army, marching in five different groups to represent the five basic types of the army's new strategic unit -- the combined arms brigades, sources said.
They need to undergo intensive training for at least four months for the big show, during which time they will do nothing else but practice marching.
Weapons and equipment on display will be selected from among the best the military has, including tanks, armored vehicles and mobile missile launchers.
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