Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-teh (
At the formal launch yesterday of the "Million Voices Against Corruption -- President Chen Must Go" protest, Shih said that the sit-in would be a non-stop peaceful demonstration without any "exit strategy" until Chen has stepped down.
The protest is scheduled to start tomorrow at Ketagalan Boulevard and along Renai and Hsinyi Roads.
PHOTO: CNA
"At three o'clock on Sept. 9, Taiwanese people will give voice to the country's anger and show the people's power," Shih told an international media conference held at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei.
"They will demand that a corrupted president step down, and this will create a new phase in our history," he said.
Stressing that the demonstration would continue "as long as necessary," Shih called on top officials from all political parties, including Vice President Annette Lu (
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
The press conference began with a seven-minute video which showed Chen's responses to the corruption scandals involving the first lady and his in-laws.
"His contradictory remarks and empty promises have sparked people's anger and make him the best spokesman for our campaign," campaign spokesman Emile Sheng (
In response to the pan-green camp's criticism of the demonstration and calls to wait for the judicial system to decide Chen's future, Sheng said that Taiwanese had grave doubts about the independence of the nation's judicial system, and that the public would win the battle against a corrupted president.
Asked about the sit-in's possible impact on foreign relations, Shih said that, as residents of a sovereign nation, Taiwanese had the right to fight against a corrupt leader.
"I believe that US citizens would not welcome a corrupt government either," he said.
While giving the assurance that the sit-in would be "peaceful and non-violent," Shih said that he nonetheless expected some violence during the protest, and that such incidents were most likely to be "created by those in power."
At the end of the press conference, the demonstration's organizers gave each reporter a box of moon cakes.
The organizers also held a closed-door press conference with foreign media yesterday, sparking outrage among Taiwanese reporters, who demanded an explanation for their exclusion.
Sheng said later that a separate press conference was held as the foreign media's questions and concerns tended to be different from those of the local media.
In response to reports that, instead of staying at the Presidential Office or a nearby residence, Chen might choose to go on a tour of the countryside during the sit-in, Shih said that no matter where Chen went, he would "hear the heartbeats and inner voices of the people."
Shih also urged the DPP to support the demonstration.
The protest will formally begin at 3pm on Saturday, said Jerry Fan (
People who have already registered online will be asked to sit in the "quiet" area along Ketagalan Boulevard, while others can gather in the "moving" area along Renai and Hsinyi roads. Protesters will be asked to sit down and remain silent at about 6pm, and there will be a "special guest" to deliver a music performance at 9pm.
The demonstration is expected to attract 300,000 people on the first day, and they will be arranged to model the Nazca Lines in Peru, he added.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard