People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) last night supported Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) contention that the result of the election should be declared invalid.
"Taiwan's democracy is the most effective weapon to resist the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). If we Taiwanese destroyed this weapon on our own, what other defensive weapons do we have [to counter the CCP]?" Soong yelled to supporters gathering at the KMT-PFP alliance's campaign headquarters after the election result was announced last night.
Soong accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of cheating in counting votes and urged everyone to support Lien's decision.
"This unfair election was full of doubtful points. This unfair election let us see clearly the political manipulations from the very beginning of campaigning to the end of the election," Soong said
"I believe everyone knows what I am talking about," he said.
Soong said that he believed that people who support the KMT-PFP alliance are people who are moderate and rational and are confident about Taiwan's democracy. He urged supporters to support Lien's allegations and make their voices heard calmly and rationally, telling the whole world that Taiwan's election was unjust.
Hundreds of thousands of the pan-blue camp's supporters reacted to Soong with cheers and chants. The deafening noise and clamor brought the audience's emotions to a peak.
"The unjust election will not bring the people of Taiwan a real stable life," Soong said.
"Only when we Taiwanese tell the world that we want a true democracy will the world respect us," he said.
"We don't want a unfair election, do we?" Soong yelled.
Although he did not recognize the results announced last night, he said yesterday morning after casting his ballot that Taiwan's democracy would be deepened after the presidential election.
Soong confirmed that the people of Taiwan showed their composure and reasonableness when facing the shooting of President Chen Shui-bian (
Soong said that the KMT-PFP alliance's decision to cancel its massive campaign rallies on Friday showed its true democratic attitude, which was worthy of being praised by people and the international society.
Soong added that it is a true performance of democracy that people can decide on their own whether to vote in the referendum. Soong and his wife and daughter did not vote in the referendum, which was held simultaneously with the election.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
Taiwan next year plans to launch its first nationwide census on elderly people living independently to identify the estimated 700,000 seniors to strengthen community-based healthcare and long-term care services, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said on the sidelines of a healthcare seminar that the nation’s rapidly aging population and declining birthrate have made the issue of elderly people living alone increasingly pressing. The survey, to be jointly conducted by the MOHW and the Ministry of the Interior, aims to establish baseline data and better allocate care resources, he
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