On Friday, the eve of the presidential election, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will hold a series of "light up Taiwan" campaign activities around the nation as a grand finale to President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) re-election bid.
The activity will involve four large campaign rallies to be held simultaneously in Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taoyuan and Taipei.
People at the rallies will be asked to bring things such as flashlights, fluorescent sticks and firecrackers for a light show at 8:08:08pm as the climax of Chen's campaign.
DPP Deputy-Secretary General Lee Ying-yuan (
"This is Taiwan's first time to hold a referendum, and we want the world to see clearly our work here," Lee said.
As well as highlighting the importance of the referendum, the "light up Taiwan" campaign was also aimed at "wiping out the `black-gold' politics" of Chen's opponents, Lee said, referring to political corruption.
Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Of the four rallies, the DPP views the one in Taipei City as the most important.
The party is hoping to attract a half a million people people to Taipei's Chungshan Soccer Stadium to counter the pan-blue camp's rally of 300,000 people at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall the same night.
Chen and Lu are expected to tour the rallies in Taichung, Taoyuan and Taipei on Friday night. Lee and Taipei County Commissioner Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) will participate in the rally in Taipei, DPP Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) will supervise the rally in Taoyuan, Premier Yu Shyi-kun will manage Taichung's rally, and Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) will rally for Chen in Kaohsiung.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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