Following Saturday's massive rally in Kaohsiung that amassed some 500,000 exuberant supporters, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) continued to build on its campaign momentum in Taichung, yesterday.
Amid flying flags, placards, banners and balloons at the massive carnival-like rally last night, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on arched stage addressing some 300,000 people, emphasizing that his reelection will bring the political, social, economic and cross-strait stability.
In response Lien Chan (
"Once Vice President Annette Lu and I are elected, Lien and Soong as well as China will have to come to terms with this fact and that will stop Taiwan from enduring further political chaos ... China will also have to accept that I am the leader and there will be no more tension across the strait and we don't have to be worried that our children have to go to the battlefield," Chen said.
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), supported by crutches last night following an accident during her hectic campaign activities, yesterday blasted the pan-blue presidential ticket.
"They are just like the warlord Yuan Shih-kai (
Lu also warned the Taiwanese to be cautious about Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's (
"They said they wanted to take over Taiwan if Taiwan has a post-election riot, but don't they always say they want to have peaceful unification with Taiwan?" Lu said. "Now they threatened to use force aganst Taiwan."
First Lady Wu Shu-chen (
Wu also blasted Lien Chan's and James Soong's actions during the 313 March.
"If they really love Taiwan, how come their children all possessed the US green cards and they also purchase large amounts of real estate in the US?" Wu questioned.
DPP campaign spokesperson Wu Nai-jen (
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,