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.
The 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.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
TAE 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.
"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.
TAE, 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.
"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.
So 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.
More 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.
Saturday 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.
"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).
Every 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.
"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.
According 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.
The 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.
Though 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.
"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.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS