The organizers of the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally yesterday launched a book and VCD documenting the spectacle of the world's longest human chain, which attracted nearly 2 million people across the country in protest against China's missile threat.
The book Hand-in-Hand to Protect Taiwan (
Ruan Ming (
PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUI, TAIPEI TIMES
The rally, he said, was also the cornerstone for President Chen Shui-bian's (
Ruan said the rally not only demonstrated a rejection of the "one China" principle, but also prevented the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-People First Party alliance, which identifies with the "one China" principle, from gaining power.
Poet Lee Ming-yung (李敏勇) said the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally was an artful demonstration which encapsulated the passion of Taiwanese people.
The rally, which took its name from the infamous 228 Incident in 1947 in which tens of thousands of Taiwanese were slaughtered by KMT forces, represented the transformation of sorrow from the 228 Incident into the courage to recognize this part of history, Lee said.
"For a very long time during KMT rule, the Taiwanese people were told to forget history out of political considerations. The success of the 228 human-chain rally symbolizes the people's courage in seeking and confirming the importance of history," Lee said.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
1.4nm WAFERS: While TSMC is gearing up to expand its overseas production, it would also continue to invest in Taiwan, company chairman and CEO C.C. Wei said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has applied for permission to construct a new plant in the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區), which it would use for the production of new high-speed wafers, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council, which supervises three major science parks in Taiwan, confirmed that the Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau had received an application on Friday from TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, to commence work on the new A14 fab. A14 technology, a 1.4 nanometer (nm) process, is designed to drive artificial intelligence transformation by enabling faster computing and greater power
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability