Hsieh urges all Taiwanese to attend Saturday's rally

Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday encouraged his fellow citizens, including government employees, to take part in Saturday's rally to demonstrate their anger about the Chinese government's "Anti-Secession" Law.

"The reason we are doing this is because [the Chinese government] deprived us of our right to make our own free choice about the country's future. Of course, we have to do something about this kind of unfriendly behavior," Hsieh said during the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday morning.

"Government officials are also Taiwanese citizens, so they definitely have the right to express themselves. I shall stand with the people and that is why I decided to join the event," he said.

The premier said that the rally on Saturday is aimed at raising awareness in the international community of how upset the Taiwanese people are about the Anti-Secession Law.

While Taiwan has been trying to solve cross-strait problems, China has still not abandoned the possibility of launching military strikes against Taiwan, he said.

Hsieh once again urged people taking part in the rally not to use the event to promote their own political agenda or as a platform for disseminating propaganda.

"This will be a cross-party activity. That means people from different political parties will all be welcomed. As a result, I hope we can all focus on the theme of the rally," he said.

Speaking on behalf of the premier, Cabinet Spokesman Chou Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told a press conference after the meeting that the government will stay neutral, despite the premier's call for fellow officials to join the rally.

"We will not force anybody to participate in the rally, divide participants into groups or hold a roll call. Consequently, you will not see a team in so-called `Cabinet uniforms' during the rally," Chou said.

He told reporters that the premier has forbidden his fellow officials from using government resources for the rally or attending it during office hours.

"Some Cabinet members asked the premier whether they should gather at the starting line of the rally. The premier told them that they should participate in the rally at any time and anywhere at their best convenience," Chou said.

"That means the Cabinet will not attend as a group. All officials are more than welcome to join the rally anywhere along the route," the spokesman said.