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.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS