To celebrate turning 33, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has planned a street fair outside its Taipei headquarters on Sept. 28, the same day it is to hold its National Convention at the Grand Hotel, the party said yesterday.
In keeping with its theme this year of “Party in Taiwan,” the street fair will feature musical performances, exhibitions and forums that highlight local values and spirit, it said.
The convention at the Grand Hotel Taipei — where the party was founded on Sept. 28, 1986, is to double as its first joint campaign rally for next year’s legislative and presidential elections, it said.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
Since the Jan. 11 elections are crucial to determining the nation’s future, it is the DPP’s responsibility to promote local values and to encourage Taiwan’s sprit of democracy and freedom, Department of Culture and Communication director Wang Po-chun (王柏鈞) said.
The “Party in Taiwan” on Beiping E Street will be a chance for Taiwanese to pay tribute to democracy pioneers and continue their legacy, he said.
If it had not been for these pioneers, Taiwan would not have elections, freedom of speech and its diversity of art and culture, he said.
The street fair’s main attraction is to be an exhibition on cross-generational efforts to promote democracy over the past 33 years, Wang said.
There will also be a forum on contemporary political and social issues in Taiwan that party members as well as the general public can attend, he said.
The party hopes the forum will encourage more cross-generational conversations about Taiwan’s future, he said.
There will be nearly 40 vendors, with a farmers’ market, food stalls and sellers of other local goods, he added.
Taiwanese indie bands from a wide range of genres and of different generations have been invited to perform, including the Golden Melody Award-winning Hakka band UrbanCat (二本貓), Community Service (勞動服務), the rock band 1976, punk rockers Random (隨性樂團), the Chairman (董事長), rapper Dwagie (大支) and Yang Show-king and Taiwan Liam-kua Smile Folksong Group (微笑唸歌團+楊秀卿) featuring PunkerBrothers (胖克兄弟), the party said.
The fair is to run from 2pm to 8pm and Beiping E Street is to be closed to traffic during that period.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it