Foreign guests arrive for Double Ten national day

More 500 foreign dignitaries will travel to Taipei to attend the Double Ten National Day celebrations, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said yesterday.

Lai Chien-chung (賴建中), director of the ministry's Protocol Department, said the ministry had invited foreign celebrities and politicians to boost friendship, mutual understanding and international cooperation.

"We have a well-organized plan for inviting foreign dignitaries to visit Taiwan," Lai said, adding that the work had been proceeding smoothly. A total of 573 foreign guests will attend this year's National Day celebrations, compared with last year's figure of 529, Lai said.

The head of state of one of the nation's diplomatic allies was scheduled to attend the National Day celebrations, but informed the ministry a few days ago that the travel plan had to be delayed, Lai said.

Lai said the prime minister of a member state in the British Commonwealth will visit shortly after the holiday. Lai said that 64 percent of the ministry's annual budget for hosting foreign dignitaries' trips here had been used by the end of August. Meanwhile, the Cabinet announced yesterday that the Executive Yuan will be open to the public on the Double Ten National Day on Sunday. Opening hours are from 9am to 4pm. Interested people must bring their identification card to visit the 64-year-old, three-story main structure, which was declared a national historic site in 1998. Visitors will receive a free gift on a first-come, first-serve basis. Volunteers will provide tours of the building, including the premier's office, the vice premier's office and the Cabinet secretary-general's office.

The Executive Yuan was opened to the public in January last year in accordance with the Cultural Heritage Preservation Law (文化資產保護法), which stipulates that historic sites should be open to the public.

Construction the main building started in 1937 and did not finish until 1940. In 1941, the Taipei City Government relocated to the premises. Two Japanese mayors served their terms there between 1941 and 1945.