All eyes are now on President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to see whether he will participate in the March 26 demonstration to be held in protest of China's "anti-secession" law.
Chen last Saturday publicly supported the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) call to hold a mass demonstration against the law. Chen called for 1 million people to mobilize against China's move.
As of yesterday however, Chen had yet to say whether he will join the demonstration.
According to National Security Bureau Director-General Hsueh Shih-ming (薛石民) on Monday, the bureau has analyzed and mapped out different proposals for the president to assess while deciding what to do.
Some political observers say that given the people's strong reaction to China's law and the country's democratic society, it would only be natural for the president to take part in the demonstration.
"What faces us is a grave issue," said Ku Chung-hwa (顧忠華), a political analyst and sociology professor at National Chengchi University. "It is significant for the president to take part in the rally in his capacity as the head of the nation."
Chen's presence could help draw international attention to Taiwan's plight and highlight the nation's unjust treatment in the international community, Ku added.
Political commentator Yang Hsien-hung (楊憲宏) said Chen should join the rally, and also suggested that he bring with him a Republic of China (ROC) flag.
"At a time like this where we need to raise a common voice against exterior forces, there is nothing wrong about holding an ROC flag," Yang said.
"Should Chen choose to join the march and hold the flag, it would be very meaningful," he said.
"The one and only purpose of the March 26 march is for us to show to the world that Taiwan, despite its bickering in the past, is speaking out with one voice against China's `anti-secession' law regardless of age, gender, social status and political affiliation," Yang said.
He said Chen risked "appearing weak" if he didn't join the rally. He also called for a diversity of political and civilian flags to be displayed at the march.
"The more different flags there are, the more it shows how Taiwan's diverse voices are united in opposing the anti-secession law enacted by China," Yang said.
China's anti-secession law is just an issue between Taiwan and China, but it is one that also affects Japan and the US, Yang said. Given the international implications, it's understandable that Chen is waiting for international reaction before deciding whether to join the rally.
"Chen needs to play his role tactfully," Yang said. "It is understandable that the president wants to decide on his response only after taking into account reactions at home and abroad."
Others echoed the suggestion of former president Lee Teng-hui (
Some political analysts said that Chen, being the national leader, could resort to more "official channels" to express Taiwan's voice to the international community -- a strategy that could be more effective than taking part in the rally.
"A nation needs to have integrity," said World United Formosans for Independence chairman Ng Chiau-tong (黃昭堂). "The president's duty as the head of state calls for him to play a different role than that of a civilian."
"Besides, at a time like this, it is inappropriate for President Chen to run around on the street," Ng said.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
REVENGE TRAVEL: A surge in ticket prices should ease this year, but inflation would likely keep tickets at a higher price than before the pandemic Scoot is to offer six additional flights between Singapore and Northeast Asia, with all routes transiting Taipei from April 1, as the budget airline continues to resume operations that were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Scoot official said on Thursday. Vice president of sales Lee Yong Sin (李榮新) said at a gathering with reporters in Taipei that the number of flights from Singapore to Japan and South Korea with a stop in Taiwan would increase from 15 to 21 each week. That change means the number of the Singapore-Taiwan-Tokyo flights per week would increase from seven to 12, while Singapore-Taiwan-Seoul
BAD NEIGHBORS: China took fourth place among countries spreading disinformation, with Hong Kong being used as a hub to spread propaganda, a V-Dem study found Taiwan has been rated as the country most affected by disinformation for the 11th consecutive year in a study by the global research project Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem). The nation continues to be a target of disinformation originating from China, and Hong Kong is increasingly being used as a base from which to disseminate that disinformation, the report said. After Taiwan, Latvia and Palestine ranked second and third respectively, while Nicaragua, North Korea, Venezuela and China, in that order, were the countries that spread the most disinformation, the report said. Each country listed in the report was given a score,
POOR PREPARATION: Cultures can form on food that is out of refrigeration for too long and cooking does not reliably neutralize their toxins, an epidemiologist said Medical professionals yesterday said that suspected food poisoning deaths revolving around a restaurant at Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 Store in Taipei could have been caused by one of several types of bacterium. Ho Mei-shang (何美鄉), an epidemiologist at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Biomedical Sciences, wrote on Facebook that the death of a 39-year-old customer of the restaurant suggests the toxin involved was either “highly potent or present in massive large quantities.” People who ate at the restaurant showed symptoms within hours of consuming the food, suggesting that the poisoning resulted from contamination by a toxin and not infection of the