Aiming to voice its indignation at China's continuous deployment of missiles against the nation and its insistence on democratic principles, the pan-green camp will hold a mass parade next Saturday.
The parade will be a joint effort by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) and the Taiwan Democratic Alliance for Peace, a group made up of 34 civic groups and over 500 societies. The groups held a joint news conference yesterday to make public the details of the event.
DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun, TSU Chairman Shu Chin-chiang (蘇進強), Taiwan Hand-in-Hand Alliance leader Ng Chiau-tong (黃昭堂), Hwang Kun-hu (黃崑虎), the president of the Friends of Lee Teng-hui association, national policy adviser Ruan Ming (阮銘) and 14 alliance members attended the conference and jointly issued a statement entitled "The Whole World Witnesses Taiwan's Democracy in the face of China's Totalitarianism."
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
The statement said that Taiwan's decision on the unification council and guidelines formed part of the nation's ongoing democratization and confirmed that only the Taiwanese people have the right to determine the country's fate.
The statement also stressed that the parade is not intended to be seen as an attack on any other political party, nor should it be seen as an attempt to stir the controversy over the issue of independence or unification. Rather, the event is intended to demonstrate the people's insistence on democracy and the rejection of outside threats to freedom.
Under the theme "Defending Democracy and Opposing Annexation," the parade will feature a celebration of democratic achievements and consolidation as a result of the president's decision on the unification council.
"We want to tell the world that the public actually view this result as a victory and as a democratic milestone for the nation," Yu said.
"China is unreasonable, undemocratic and a source of disorder in the world. It has never abandoned its ambition of annexing Taiwan, as can be seen from the fact that it has deployed 800 missiles against the nation and passed the `Anti-Secession' Law. The people of Taiwan will go into the street to say `no' to China," Yu said.
The march will set out from the Songshan Tobacco Factory Park at 2pm and marchers will gather on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office at about 5:30pm.
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