Several hundred people paid tribute to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on the eve of his inauguration on Wednesday at a gala reception at Taiwan's "Twin Oaks" mansion in Washington, as pro-pan blue protesters demonstrated at the grounds entrance.
Ambassadors of countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan joined with Taiwanese-Americans and a cross-section of supporters of Taiwan to eat, drink and chat in honor of Chen's re-election.
One of the stars of the event was Therese Shaheen, the former head of the American Institute in Taiwan, who was mobbed by reporters as she arrived in a signature bright red dress.
"I think it's a great night for a party," Shaheen said, as she avoided answering any diplomatically sensitive questions.
Asked about Chen's speech, she said, "My understanding is that the people are very happy. I think we're looking forward to a good speech."
Shaheen disclosed that she will visit Taiwan in the second or third week of next month to see old friends and visit old haunts.
Ambassadors of nearly a dozen countries attended the gala, including those from Guatemala, Honduras, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica and Swaziland.
While no members of Congress were spotted, a large number of Taiwan's most important supporters from the academic, think-tank and business worlds were in attendance.
Taiwan's outgoing de facto ambassador, Chen Chien-jen (程建人), told the throng that the celebration was not only about the inauguration, but also the success of Taiwan's democracy.
"We are gathered here to celebrate the inauguration of President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu (
He recalled that, 50 years ago, Taiwan was "poor and authoritarian," but now it is "affluent, free and democratic and prosperous."
"Of course, our democracy is not perfect. Yes, we have some difficulties. But we have a vibrant democracy in Taiwan now. I have confidence in our democracy," he said.
Outside the grounds, a crowd estimated at some 200 demonstrated against the inauguration, crying "shame on you" to guests arriving at or leaving the reception.
With signs that said "Justice in Taiwan is Dead," "Boycott Taiwan's Fake President" and "Unfair Taiwan Election," the protesters were part of a broader movement in several other US cities and sites in other countries.
A leader of the group, Jeffrey Chen, told the Taipei Times that the group is not "anti-green," but felt that the inauguration should have been postponed until the legal processes dealing with the pan-blue challenge to the election were completed and the results were officially announced.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
RSS