A hundred bald men ran a race yesterday to kick off President Chen Shui-bian's (
The race, held a day after the country's largest-ever protest against China, signified a play on words, since the Chinese for "referendum" is similar to the phrase "bald head."
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The "Referendum 100" campaign follows Saturday's massive demonstration in which an estimated 2 million Chen supporters formed a human chain spanning the length of Taiwan to protest against China's pointing of nearly 500 missiles at the nation.
Analysts say the peaceful rally was Chen's best chance of boosting voter support in his difficult battle with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
Opinion polls last week had shown Chen and Lien running neck-and-neck, with a crucial fifth of voters still undecided.
"The Taiwanese people have expressed their incomparable will and determination to protect Taiwan's territory, sovereign status, democracy and economic prosperity, and to protect peace in the Taiwan Strait," Chen said yesterday.
"On February 28, we joined hands. On March 20, we must take part in the referendum to save Taiwan," Chen said at the launch of the new "Referendum 100' campaign.
Chen said the "1" stood for his candidate number and the two zeros symbolized the two questions the referendum asks.
Voters will be asked whether Taiwan should increase its anti-missile defenses if China refused to withdraw its missiles, and if the two sides should open talks on forming a framework for peaceful and stable ties.
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
The Taipei City Government yesterday confirmed that it has negotiated a royalties of NT$12.2 billion (US$380 million) with artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant Nvidia Corp, with the earliest possible signing date set for Wednesday next week. The city has been preparing for Nvidia to build its Taiwan headquarters in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park since last year, and the project has now entered its final stage before the contract is signed. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city government has completed the royalty price negotiations and would now push through the remaining procedures to sign the contract before
Taipei Zoo welcomes the Lunar New Year this year through its efforts to protect an endangered species of horse native to central Asia that was once fully extinct outside of captivity. The festival ushering in the Year of the Horse would draw attention to the zoo’s four specimens of Przewalski’s horse, named for a Russian geographer who first encountered them in the late 19th century across the steppes of western Mongolia. “Visitors will look at the horses and think that since this is the Year of the Horse: ‘I want to get to know horses,’” said zookeeper Chen Yun-chieh, who has been
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was agreed by both sides, after Lithuania’s prime minister described a 2021 decision to let Taiwan set up a de facto embassy in Vilnius as a “mistake.” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, who entered office in September last year, told the Baltic News Service on Tuesday that Lithuania had begun taking “small first steps” aimed at restoring ties with Beijing. The ministry in a statement said that Taiwan and Lithuania are important partners that share the values of freedom and democracy. Since the establishment of the
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