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Nantou County basks in political spotlight

Nantou County is expected to get an unusual political flavor today as politicians vying for the nation's top job in next year's presidential election make simultaneous visits to the region on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the 921 earthquake.

While President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has his schedule bookmarked with visits to the county today, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) -- who decided in April to team up on a single ticket representing the pan-blue camp -- are also slated to take part in commemorative events to be held in the county.

Although Chen, Lien and Soong are in town to show their concern and care to people whose homes and properties were wrecked four years ago by a 7.3 Richter scale-magnitude quake, next year's presidential election will be in the air when the three political heavyweights make their appearance.

PFP spokesman Hwang Yih-jiau (黃義交) said that among various commemorative events, Soong, and Lien, will take part in a dedication ceremony after the completion of a 921 Earthquake Monument located in Fengyuan City in Taichung County.

"While a final schedule is not set yet, it is most likely that Soong [and Lien] will also accompany survivors of the 921 earthquake disaster in a vigil on Saturday night till 1:47am. [Sunday]," Hwang said.

The 921 quake struck at that precise time on Sept. 21, 1999. According to government statistics, the quake injured 11,305 and claimed 2,444 lives, including the 2,113 who were killed in Taichung and Nantou counties, the areas hardest hit by the quake.

Both Chen and Lien are slated to appear at the Taiwan Junior Chamber's national congress to be held in Chushan, during which the two are likely to run into each other. Their last face-to-face encounter was two days ago.

On Thursday, Chen and Lien could not avoid meeting each other while attending an occasion in Taipei's Wanhua District marking a local temple's 13th anniversary.

They shook hands and engaged in a brief greeting before going their separate ways through the crowd.

Thursday's encounter marked the third time they had met face-to-face since the high-profile Chen-Lien meeting on Oct 27, 2000, when they tried to reach consensus between the government and the KMT.

Chen also visited Lien in hospital on May, 20, 2001 when the KMT chief was suffering from a urethral infection.
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