Four pan-blue heavyweights are slated to join the rally held by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) today to denounce what they called the government's ignorance of "livelihood" issues.
The KMT rally, which carries the theme "Fight for our livelihoods and save Taiwan," will be led by KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
Other pan-blue camp leaders, including former KMT chairman Lien Chan (
The KMT failed to win the support of Non-Partisan Solidarity Union members, including its chairwoman Chang Po-ya (
Due to today's rally, the Taipei City Transportation Department announced that Ketagelan Boulevard will be closed from 10am to 10pm, and that the parade route along Zhongxiao E Road, Linsen S Road and Renai Road will be closed to traffic between 3pm and 6pm.
More traffic information is available from the department at dot.taipei.gov.tw.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is scheduled to hold its own rally, themed "Defending Democracy and Opposing Annexation," next Saturday. The event is planned as a celebration of the nation's democratic achievements and the president's decision to cease the function of the National Unification Council.
DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun and TSU Chairman Shu Chin-chiang (
DPP spokesman Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) refuted rumors that Lu and Su do not support the parade, saying that they have expressed their support for the event.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
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
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that