Twelve couples of differing national backgrounds are set to sing the national anthem with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) at New Year celebrations tomorrow.
"For the fifth year in a row our organization has been planning this celebration and each year we want to be creative," said Day Sheng-tung (戴勝通), chairman of the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (中小企業協會) at a press conference yesterday.
"Since Taiwan is becoming a more multicultural place, we decided to invite couples, in which one of them is not a native of Taiwan, to sing our national anthem for a change," he said.
The association ran ads in newspapers to invite couples to participate in an audition, which took place last week.
Out of the 20-plus couples that went to the audition, 12 were selected by a professional musician. The final 12 couples consist of eight married couples and four couples who are in steady relationships.
These foreign singers hailed from nine different countries: the US, Vietnam, Indonesia, Germany, Spain, the Philippines, China, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Cambodia.
"I saw an ad in the Mandarin Daily News and decided to sign up for it. We are glad to participate in this event, as it gives my husband an opportunity to really be part of our society," said Chiu Bi-hsueh (
Jhun Pontiveros, Chiu's husband of seven years, said he had been practicing singing an hour a day for the past week.
"My wife sings and I follow her tune. I practice before I go to bed and sometimes I even dream of singing the national anthem in my sleep," said Pontiveros, a businessman who moved to Taiwan from Laguna 11 years ago.
Pontiveros' love for Taiwan inspired him to try out for the audition.
The couple has two children, aged 7 and 4, whose first language is Mandarin. "The main language of [our children] is Mandarin, but they know a little English as well," Chiu said.
Terry Hornsby, an American from Indiana, said he considered singing the anthem and considered it a song of praise.
"When I sing [the anthem], I want to be lively and sing from my heart. It is a song of praise to the nation -- I love Taiwan!" said Hornsby, an actor who is cast in an English-language children's program.
Hornsby has been married for two years to his Taiwanese wife, Lee Ho-yin (
"I learned about this event through my sister, who works for [the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises]. We are very glad to be given this opportunity," Lee said.
Lee also said the association offered them two CDs of the anthem -- one in Chinese and one in English. In order to acquire accurate pronunciation, Hornsby used romanized Chinese words to help him out.
"I still have trouble with `zong' and `cong' ... these two sounds confuse me a lot," Hornsby said.
When asked by reporters if he understood the meaning of the anthem, Hornsby answered: "You tell me!"
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
ISOLATION: The outposts would serve as support and backup bases, forcing US forces to either face China head-on or reroute, increasing travel time and operational costs China’s outposts in the South China Sea could be used to delay and constrain foreign forces during a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, giving Beijing a critical window to carry out amphibious landing and blockade operations, a report said. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) forward operating bases on islands and reclaimed features in the South China Sea could delay foreign forces long enough for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to secure a key 48-to-72-hour window in the Taiwan Strait, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council found. The report, conducted by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, examined
RSS