Nearly 2,000 protesters waving red and blue Taiwanese flags and chanting "shame" on Saturday called for an independent probe into Taiwan's disputed national election.
"We want a recount," retired accountant Robert Chi said as he clutched US and Taiwanese flags, apparently unaware that the president had already said there would be a recount. "We want the president to hear us. He lied."
The rally was part of a series of protests in the US that echoed protests in Taiwan. Nearly a half-million people gathered in Taipei on Saturday to protest the results of the March 20 election that opponents say was rigged by President Chen Shui-bian (
In Los Angeles, protesters from as far away as Phoenix gathered for about two hours in a parking lot in the city's bustling Chinatown neighborhood. They waved banners that said "Recount the ballots" and "Justice, truth, fairness" as music and speeches blared over loudspeakers.
Police estimated the crowd reached about 1,800 people.
"It's not a justified and fair election,'' said Terry Lee, a protest coordinator who worked for People First Party candidate James Soong (
"All the polls showed [Chen] should have lost the election," Lee said, apparently unaware that several polls indicated the race was too close to call in the weeks prior to the election.
An afternoon rally was also planned in San Francisco.
"I think they should have a whole new election," said Sherrien Shui, a Los Angeles wedding planner who was born in Taiwan.
Wearing a yellow headband that said "Justice," she compared the circumstances around the election, including the assassination attempt, to "a movie, a play, that he [Chen] directed himself."
Although pan-blue leaders have made similar claims, they have given no evidence to support such conspiracy theories.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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