About 50,000 people attended a celebration on the eve of Double Ten National Day at Keelung Harbor yesterday, while the main events today are to be held in Taipei and Tainan.
In Keelung, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that Taiwan has successfully held the COVID-19 pandemic at bay and is helping other countries do the same.
Amid general economic decline worldwide, the nation’s economy remains strong, an achievement that is due to the collective effort of all Taiwanese, Tsai said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
“We hope that we will continue to provide a stabilizing force on international affairs,” she said.
At 8:55am in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei today the Miaoli County-based Beiguan Bayin troupe are to perform, followed by a parade of the Ministry of National Defense’s Honor Guard, the Military Police’s Rapid Response Company, the Taipei First Girls’ High School band, as well as personnel from the National Police Agency and the National Airborne Service Corps.
Twenty-one representatives of people who have made significant contributions to COVID-19 prevention efforts would lead the national anthem alongside the Taipei Medical University Sing Song Chorus, event organizers said.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
Following speeches by Tsai, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) and overseas compatriots representative Minly Sung (宋明麗), 100 contributors to pandemic prevention would arrive on Humvees, organizers said.
F-16V jets and the Thunder Tigers aerobatics team are to conclude the morning’s events in Taipei with a flyby, organizers said.
Tainan is to host a huge fireworks display in the evening.
The Tainan City Government said that 27,354 fireworks launched from Yuguang Island (漁光島) in Anping District (安平) would light up the sky over the city for about 33 minutes from 8pm.
About 200,000 people are expected to attend, the city said.
Four main viewing areas have been set up, three in Anping and one in South District (南區), it said.
For people who do not want to be among large crowds, there are six alternative locations from where the fireworks would be clearly visible: Sihcao Dajhong Temple (四草大眾廟), Orthodox Luermen Shengu Temple (正統鹿耳門聖母廟), Luerhmen Tian Ho Temple (鹿耳門天后宮), Longshan Temple (龍山寺), Wannian Temple (萬年殿) and Wan Huang Temple (萬皇宮), it said.
Special traffic regulations would be enforced on roads leading to the viewing sites, Tainan Bureau of Transportation Director-General Wang Ming-te (王銘德) said.
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