Chen, Lu, Su set to join DPP march

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) will participate in the parade held by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday, DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday.

The march is to be staged to protest China's unflagging military threats to Taiwan and dumping of cheap goods.

To boost momentum for the march, Su, Yu, Presidential Office Secretary-General Mark Chen (陳唐山) and other high-ranking party officials pledged their support for the event before the DPP's weekly central standing committee yesterday afternoon.

Although there were some dissenting voices on the parade among the DPP, Yu said yesterday that the party had communicated with those party members and that the majority of the DPP was now supportive of the parade.

DPP Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also added that the DPP's legislative caucus and Taipei City councilors would mobilize their supporters to join the parade in a display of unity.

Local towel manufacturers will also organize a group to join the parade, Lin said.

Yu said the economy is the top priority for Taiwanese and that it was hard to understand how the economy could benefit from the pan-blue camp bringing up the presidential assassination attempt again.

"A responsible governing party can't be silent when our country is bullied. We cannot stay mute when Chinese leaders keep claiming Taiwan is the territory of the People's Republic of China," Yu said.

"We have to make the world know Taiwan's thoughts. Only with strong democracy can Taiwan have security and a prosperous economy," he said.

As for the attendance of VIPs, Yu said President Chen was "inclined to" participate in the parade, but whether he would march or just give a speech would be decided by the Presidential Office.

Mark Chen said the president would decide on his attendance today and that the vice president would go if Chen decides to do so.

"The chances of President Chen attending the parade are high. As for myself, I have already decided to go," Mark Chen said yesterday.

Su yesterday also announced that he would attend the rally.

When asked whether the US would pressurize Taiwan if the president showed up at the parade, Mark Chen said that "it has nothing to do with the US if the people of Taiwan decide to hold a parade."