An evening gala open to the public will be held on Ketagalan Boulevard tomorrow to welcome the return of the nationwide torch relay soliciting support for the nation's UN membership bid.
Organizers are aiming for more than 50,000 participants.
The relay, launched by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on Oct. 24 in front of the Presidential Office, involves 20 athletes who completed the 1,200km feat across 25 cities and counties over 11 days.
Chen Lung-chu (陳隆志), leader of the Alliance for Taiwan to Join the United Nations, said the torch symbolizes peace, justice and unity.
The 23 million Taiwanese, he said, must express their will to join the UN.
Chang Yi-san (
While Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) will lead alliance members, government officials and the crowd on Xinyi Road, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and his running mate, Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), will lead the party's legislative candidates, youths and business representatives on Renai Road.
At approximately 7pm, the two groups will start running in the direction of Jingfumen (
Although 10,000 electric torches will be distributed, participants are encouraged to bring their own.
The gala will begin at 7:30pm.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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