Taiwanese promoting civil defense awareness and national unity in the face of China's invasion threat set off from Tainan today on the third day of a nine-day relay march from Kaohsiung to Taipei.
"Prepare for civil defense, protect Taiwan," shouted activists on the Tainan-Yunlin section of the march organized by the Kuma Civil Defense Education Association, an NGO cofounded by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋).
Photo: Wang Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
"I hope that during this northward journey, more people and civil organizations show their support so everyone hears the voices representing Taiwanese, that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country," said a Tainan native surnamed Hou (侯) who attended the full day's journey yesterday.
More than 50 groups of activists are to join in stages to complete the 380km "Stand Up as Taiwan" march across 13 cities and counties, according to the group's Web site.
Largely following Provincial Highway 1 along Taiwan's western half, the march route uses train stations as relay points from the south to the north.
The group expects about 1,000 people to gather at the event's final stop at Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei on Sunday.
Established in 2021, the association, also known as the "Black Bear Academy" or Kuma Academy, aims to "prepare a pre-war mentality for civilians" and "cultivate self-defense capability and will to defend Taiwan," according to the group's Web site.
Beijing has threatened people associated with the association.
In October, China's Taiwan Affairs Office put the Taiwanese NGO on an official public list of "die-hard Taiwan independence separatists."
Shen and one of the group's financiers, businessman Robert Tsao (曹興誠), were also denounced by China as "die-hard Taiwan independence separatists" — a crime potentially punishable by death according to court guidelines published by China in June.
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