It was chilly and rainy in Pingsi, a mountainous township an hour's drive from downtown Taipei, on Saturday night. But Thai singer TAE managed to squeeze a night out of his tight schedule to sing for those who had gathered there for a special occasion. \nThe event, called "Light of Peace, City of Hope," was held in commemoration for the victims of the Asian tsunami. Participants wrote their wishes or blessings for those affected by the tragedy on lanterns or paper balloons, and set them aloft. \nTAE was in Taiwan when the tsunami hit nations in Southeast Asia on Dec. 26. His friends called him from Thailand telling him the country was struck by huge waves. \n"I thought in my heart: This is impossible. Where did the tsunami come from?' At that time, I was planning to have a vacation in Thailand and go snorkeling. I ended up joining a rescue team on the beach and snorkeling to seek bodies in the sea," TAE told participants at Saturday's event. \nTAE, who has often had nightmares after searching for bodies in the sea for a few days, said he still felt the pain of tsunami victims. \n"My friends' houses were swept away. When I worked with our rescue team, I saw international rescue teams from South Korea, Taiwan, the US, and other countries. I was moved," he said. \nSo when TAE received an invitation from Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to represent tsunami victims in Thailand by joining the activity in Pingsi, he decided to take a day off from his work because he wanted to say blessings to those suffering from the tragedy. \nMore than 40 foreign diplomats and their spouses attended the event, which was co-organized by the MOFA and the Taipei County Government at Pingsi Middle School. \nSaturday was one of the coldest days of the winter. The temperature dropped to below 8?C. Yet the diplomats, wearing raincoats and holding umbrellas, sat in the rain quietly and watched the night's program for nearly two hours. \n"Nearly 300,000 people were killed by the tsunami. More lost their families and were left homeless. It was a disaster in human history," said Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Quyang Jui-hsiung (歐陽瑞雄). \nEvery 20 minutes, 100 or 200 lanterns were set aloft at the same time from the playground of the middle school. Despite the rain, the lanterns, with people's wishes written all over them, rose slowly into the sky. \n"It was the first time I have joined Pingsi's heavenly lantern activity. On my way here, I saw from the window of my car hundreds of lanterns floating in the dark skies. They are like stars. Suddenly my heart was filled with warmth and joy," said Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), who came to the town to make his wishes as part of the event. \nAccording to the elders of Pingsi, the tradition of setting off heavenly lanterns began during the Ching Dynasty. At that time, bands of outlaws frequently raided villages around Pingsi, forcing local residents to seek refuge in the mountains. \nThe heavenly lanterns were signals used by the village watchmen to inform the refugees that their houses were safe again. When those hiding in the mountains saw the lanterns in the sky, they knew it was time to go home. \nThough the raids ceased long ago, villagers in Pingsi have still preserved the tradition of setting off heavenly lanterns, the elders said. Hsieh, who led the foreign diplomats in setting off their lanterns, said he hoped the countries' political parties can cooperate. \n"Cooperation between political parties can bring Taiwan further prosperity," he said before lighting a 5.5m-high heavenly lantern, the largest set aloft that night.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
‘SMEAR CAMPAIGN’: The ‘Global Times’ accused the DPP of offering politicians in Somaliland bribes and promoting Taiwanese independence by funding US think tanks The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday denounced China’s Global Times for disseminating disinformation about Taiwan, after the Chinese state-run newspaper claimed that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been bribing Somaliland politicians. Taiwan in August last year inaugurated the Taiwan Representative Office in the Republic of Somaliland, which is the nation’s only representative office whose title uses just the name “Taiwan.” The East African country also established a representative office in Taipei, despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations. The Chinese-language Global Times on Monday accused the DPP of offering Somaliland politicians and their families considerable bribes, citing anonymous sources. The International Cooperation
Phase 2 clinical trial results of the Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp’s COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday were published on the Web site of The Lancet: Respiratory Medicine, in an early preview before publication. The study paves the way for other nations to issue emergency use authorizations or produce the Medigen vaccine, given The Lancet’s credibility as a highly respected medical journal with a rigorous peer-review process, Medigen’s international affairs director Lien Chia-en (連加恩) said. Lien said that the study is important as it proposes methods for converting international units for efficacy comparisons. The methods have been used for correlating the efficacy of hepatitis B
Ambassador Theaters on Tuesday announced that its Breeze Center cinemas in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) would close late this month after screening thousands of major Hollywood movies and local favorites over two decades. Ambassador Theaters, one of the largest cinema chain operators in Taiwan, said that Oct. 25 would be the last day the Breeze Center cinemas screen movies, adding that its lease expires on that day. “We sincerely appreciate the support and recognition from audiences in Taipei over the past 20 years,” the company said. “We look forward to seeing you again in the future.” The cinemas started operating in 2001, upon
BUMPING AROUND: A total of 143 people sustained fall injuries at MRT stations or inside trains over eight months, with a majority caused by ‘distracted walking’ Taipei Rapid Transit Corp yesterday urged people to avoid looking at their phones when walking, saying 73 cases of “distracted walking injuries” had occurred in the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system from January to August. As the local COVID-19 situation has been brought under control, passenger traffic has been increasing, reaching about 1.5 million rides per day last month, the company said. However, many passengers have been looking at their phones as they walk through MRT stations, which can lead to collisions with other passengers or injury from falling down stairs. A total of 143 people sustained fall injuries at MRT stations
RSS