More emigrants expected to return for Double Ten day

Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission (OCAC) Chairwoman Chang Fu-mei (張富美) yesterday said that the number of emigrants returning to Taiwan for Double Ten Day will increase this year, while urging the emigrants not to join in the anti-Chen protests.

Chang made the remarks yesterday during a question-and-answer session in the legislature's Foreign Affairs Committee when she was questioned by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers.

KMT legislators Liu Shen-liang (劉盛良) and Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) both asked Chang how many emigrants plan to return home to celebrate National Day, and whether any of them were coming back to join the protests to oust President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

Chang said that the number of emigrants returning to Taiwan this year would increase, and more than 5,000 people have signed up to take part in the official celebration, and 650 of them have confirmed their desire to participate.

"We hope at least 4,000 people will join in the celebration," she said.

According to records offered by KMT Legislator Justin Chou (周守訓), about 4,500 overseas Taiwanese joined in the celebration last year.

When asked, Chang said that she thought it was possible that some of them might be returning to participate in the protest that would "besiege" the Presidential Office on National Day.