Hundreds of people yesterday marched in Taipei to show solidarity with Ukraine as Russia’s invasion of the eastern European country entered its third week.
The demonstrators gathered at Daan Forest Park at 1:30pm. Ukrainians and Taiwanese gave speeches and sang the Ukrainian national anthem.
After chanting “Taiwan stands with Ukraine,” the group marched toward Ketagalan Boulevard and the Presidential Office Building.
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
Speaking at the march, Ukrainians Alex Khomenko and Daria Zheng thanked Taiwanese for their support in this time of crisis.
Khomenko, one of the march’s organizers, said his mother is in the US, but she has heard about the plight of one of her friends in their hometown in eastern Ukraine.
“She heard that one of her friends is still stuck in a five-story apartment building that has been badly damaged by bombings. They could not leave because their 90-year-old grandmother is still with them,” he said, describing it as a reality his compatriots face every day.
Calling the situation in Ukraine “heartbreaking,” Khomenko called on Taiwanese to continue to support Ukraine and keep the momentum going.
The march ended with singer Kimberley Chen (陳芳語) performing the John Lennon song Imagine.
Separately yesterday, the Taiwan Statebuilding Party held a rally in Kaohsiung to show support for Ukraine.
The rally was attended by about a dozen Taiwanese and one Ukrainian living in the city.
A government-designated bank account has received NT$578 million (US$20.35 million) in donations from Taiwanese since it was established on March 2.
Large amounts of supplies have also been donated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the agency launched a drive on Monday last week asking people to provide goods and medical supplies for Ukrainian refugees.
The government has said it would join international sanctions against Russia, but has yet to detail any specific products sanctioned, and has not stopped the purchase of its biggest import items from Russia, including coal and natural gas.
The ministry on Friday announced a special program to take in Ukrainian refugees, saying that Ukrainians with relatives in Taiwan who are Taiwanese citizens or Ukrainians with residency can apply for a special visa.
Applicants must have a Ukrainian passport and documents proving they have relatives in Taiwan, the ministry said.
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
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