Anti-President-Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) campaign leader Shih Ming-teh (施明德) yesterday solicited aid from the public -- including a request for "combat vehicles" (zhanche 戰車) and megaphones -- ? for the campaign's planned "siege" of the Presidential Office building on Double Ten National Day.
The "combat vehicles" Shih called for are trucks which will be used to "maintain order" at intersections around the Presidential Office.
"We need these resources and all other support we can get," Shih said as his campaign tour took him to Ilan county yesterday.
PHOTO: WALLY SANTANA, AP
While the details of the camp's planned "Oct. 10 siege" have not been revealed, Shih promised to keep the demonstration peaceful and non-violent.
"There will probably be 2 million people during the siege. We will come up with a flawless plan to make the demonstration a peaceful one," he said.
Shih's nationwide tour returned to Taipei last night, and will continue through to Keelung, Taoyuan and Taichung City, with a large-scale evening party to be held in Taichung City to mark its end tomorrow.
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
As to whether he will participate in the event, Ma said he would attend the Double Ten day ceremony as local chief.
"I will wear what I normally wear on that day," Ma said yesterday when asked whether he would wear red clothes as a gesture of support for the demonstration.
Another anti-Chen group, the Democratic Action Alliance, yesterday urged the campaign to reveal its siege plan as soon as possible.
The alliance plans to put 5,000 of its people in the frontlines of the demonstration next Tuesday, and urged the public to conduct their Mid Autumn Festival activities on Ketagalan Boulevard, as a gesture to protest against the president.
Meanwhile, hundreds of anti-Chen protesters yesterday took part in "15-minute flash mobs" in Taipei City to call on people to take time off work on Monday to demand that President Chen step down.
A flash mob is a group of people assembled in a public place to do something unusual or notable, and then disperse.
The flash mob exercise took place at 11:45am at the No. 1 exit of Taipei MRT stations and railway stations in other cities and counties.
At the No.1 exits of the Ximen MRT Station, several dozen protesters chanted slogans including "A-bian step down" and "Go, go Taiwan" for more than 10 minutes, while police warned them to move along.
Most of the protesters were housewives, retired people and others who have been long-term participants in the anti-Chen sit-ins.
"My sister and I attend the sit-in every day. We are looking forward to participating in the Double Ten day siege," a 40-year-old housewife surnamed Chang said.
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