Despite the absence of the usual formal festivities to celebrate the Republic of China’s (ROC) 98th national day this year, many overseas Taiwanese held their own celebrations to commemorate the day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
In early August, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) announced the cancellation of all government-sponsored national day celebrations and receptions after Typhoon Morakot swept through southern Taiwan. The money that would have been spent by overseas representative offices and embassies for the national day, estimated at around NT$70 million (US$2.1 million) by MOFA, would be transferred to the flood relief fund, MOFA deputy spokesman James Chang (章計平) said.
However, even without the the celebrations, many Taiwanese nationals residing abroad managed to find ways to express their patriotism, director-general of the ministry’s Department in European Affairs Chiu Jong-jen (邱宗仁) said.
In Paris, several dozen musically talented Taiwanese held a concert to mark the day, he said, adding that in countries such as the UK and Germany, where there are large populations of Taiwanese, several fundraising parties were held in lieu of a reception to collect money for typhoon victims.
MOFA also reported that about 50 people attended a flag-raising ceremony in Dublin last Saturday.
Taiwan’s embassy in Nicaragua joined hands with Casa de los Tres Mundos — a cultural center in the city of Granada — to hold a photo exhibition featuring pictures of Taiwan’s natural landscape, cultures and customs as a way to celebrate the country’s vitality and beauty, said MOFA, adding that in San Paulo, Brazil, more than 100 Taiwanese celebrated the occasion by holding a singing competition last Saturday.
Close to 300 Taiwanese in Portland, Oregon, held a dinner on Tuesday to celebrate Double Ten Day as well as to raise money for a local Chinese school. The event was attended by Daniel Liao (廖東周), director-general of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle, as well as many prominent Taiwanese leaders and officials from the Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission, the office said.
On the same day in San Francisco about 200 people gathered in front of Oakland City Hall to hold a flag-raising ceremony for the ROC flag in front of a crowd that sang the Flag Song (國旗歌), followed by the ROC national anthem and the US national anthem.
About 1,000 people showed up at the Taiwan School in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, to pay tribute to the ROC flag last Sunday, MOFA said.
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