Despite the strong winds and heavy rain brought by Typhoon Krosa, more than 100 Burmese and Taiwanese marched in Taipei City yesterday to support ongoing demonstrations in Myanmar.
In recent weeks, pro-democracy activists in Myanmar have staged protests against the military junta, which reacted by launching a violent crackdown.
To show their support for the pro-democracy movement at home, Burmese living in Taiwan organized a march as part of the worldwide Global Day of Action for Burma yesterday.
Dozens of countries around the world also held marches yesterday.
"Following nearly half a century of the junta's rule, Myanmar has become a horrible place to live in," said Lee Tse-cheng (李澤成), an ethnic Chinese who left Myanmar 13 years ago. "That's why we wanted to stand up and tell more people about the situation there."
Lee said that most Burmese who move to Taiwan are ethnic Chinese who speak Mandarin.
The demonstrators began their march at the Taipei City Council building and proceeded amid stormy weather and flooded streets.
"Free Burma! Free Aung San Suu Kyi!" they shouted.
Every Burmese participating in the march wore a Aung San Suu Kyi mask. Tsai Ya-ju (
"I'm here despite the stormy weather because I was really touched by the Burmese people who are so convinced to fight for their own country," Tsai said.
"I truly believe that the junta will collapse next year, and Aung San Suu Kyi and other democracy activists will be released," Tsai said.
Chung Wei-pei (鍾偉培), another Burmese man who attended the march, was jailed for two years in the late 1960s for being a member of an anti-government guerilla movement.
Chung sought asylum in Taiwan 19 years ago following his involvement in the 1988 anti-government protests.
"Abuse of civilians by soldiers for no reason is common in Myanmar -- that's why people continue to rise against the junta," Chung said.
"I'm glad to see that the scale of the protests is growing," he said.
After the march was finished, demonstrators paid their respects to the activists who had died during the violent crackdown, while Buddhist Master Shih Chao-hui (釋昭慧) chanted sutras.
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
RSS