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Remembering 228: Taipei County forms 22km-long link in the human chain

A 22km-long link in the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally was formed in Taipei County yesterday by around 150,000 people joining hands.

Beginning in Luchou and cutting through Hsinchung, Sang-chung and Hsihchih before continuing into Taipei City, the human chain was formed yesterday with local residents counting down to 2:28pm along with county commissioner Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).

"I feel pride knowing that 150,000 Taipei County residents came out today. Participants will be able to tell their grandchildren that on Feb. 28 this year, they stood up and protected a portion of Taipei county," Su said.

A diverse group of people took part in Taipei County, with people of all ages and backgrounds finding different ways to express solidarity.

The Taiwanese Presbyterian Church marked the day with prayers for the nation in Hsinchung. One man at the Sangchung rally headquarters shouted "Go Taiwan!" while chewing a betel nut. Another brought his entire family and their two dogs, both sporting colorful Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) promotional paraphernalia.

While a band performed loud music, 60-year-old Wei Cheng-che (魏政哲) remarked that he liked the rap song they were playing, although he could only make out part of the lyrics.

Meanwhile, 10 women and girls, with ages ranging from just a few months to 105 years, representing ten decades, came forward in Hsihchih with Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀連) to express solidarity.

"Today, women can stand at the nation's frontline. Women no longer have to stay in the kitchen or home. Women should show concern for Taiwan, bringing about love and peace instead of war," Lu said.

In Sangchung, 2,000 supporters stood in formation to create a picture consisting of the numbers "228", a hand, and a map of Taiwan.

"This event is not for people who support the pan-green camp only. I am here because I support Taiwan," said Shangchung city resident Wang Ling-tsai (王鈴采), who had not registered to participate but came to observe.

Wu Ya-chen (吳亞蓁), deputy executive officer of the Democratic Progressive Party's Taipei County headquarters, explained that the rally headquarters and performance stage were ironically situated in full view of a giant campaign advertisement featuring Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) promising economic improvements.

"We decided to cover the advertisement yesterday, because despite this event being about ethnic solidarity, most of the participants are supporters of the pan-green camp," Wu said.

Black cloth and sound equipment were strategically placed to block the Lien-Soong poster from view.

"I'm performing today because it's an opportunity for the Aborigine voice to be heard. It's not about which political party I support," said a member of an Aborigine dance group that took part in the activities.
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