Surrounding the Chinese character Pi (屁, fart) formed by 300,000 candles, about 2,000 red-clad protesters gathered at Ketagalan Boulevard yesterday to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the anti-corruption campaign launched to oust President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Rather than motivating supporters and leading participants to parade around the Presidential Office as it did last year, the campaign said the gathering was held to peacefully commemorate the movement while recalling the passion of the protesters and their continued opposition to corruption and Chen.
"The symbol of the Chinese character `Pi' formed by candle light is to tell A-bian that he is not worth a penny," campaign spokesman Jerry Fan (
"We are here today to speak our minds, to express our continued anger at the government and to help the people and society to heal the wounds," he said.
The campaign, led by former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-teh (
The month-long sit-in protest attracted thousands of people with more than NT$111 million (US$3.36 million) raised from public donations until the campaign lost momentum and eventually ended its rallies amid internal disputes and violent clashes following its "siege" protest last Oct. 10.
Shih, who had vowed not to end the protest unless Chen stepped down, showed up last night to address the rally.
Several supporters wearing red clothes started to gather on Ketagalan Boulevard in the morning before the rally formally started at 6pm.
"We need to voice our anger and disappointment at the corrupt government and Chen Shui-bian, even though I know that this rally won't get him to step down," a protester surnamed Hsu said.
Another participant, Kevin Liu agreed that people's disappointment with the government and Chen will not disappear.
"Chen will finish his term, and there's no way we can stop him. However, he needs to know that the people's anger hasn't died," Liu said.
Some participants, however, challenged Shih and the campaign for failing to fulfill their promises.
"Shih promised not to leave unless A-bian stepped down. A-bian is still in the Presidential Office, but Shih abandoned the campaign," a protester, who declined to reveal his name, said.
Former DPP legislator and campaign member Lin Cheng-chieh (
Pan-blue politicians who attended the protest last year, including Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), chose to distance themselves from the event this year.
"I didn't know about the gathering, and so I already have other plans. If the campaign's message is still anti-corruption, I will support it," Ma said on Saturday when asked whether or not he would attend.
The Taipei City Police Department yesterday sent about 1,000 police to the rally.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers