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| Sunday, 29 February 2004 |
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Taiwan president kicks off million-strong rally (Reuters) - Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian kicked off a massive protest against China on Saturday in which more than a million supporters are expected to form a human chain spanning the length of the island. The day-long demonstration against nearly 500 Chinese missiles pointed at Taiwan is seen as Chen's best chance to turn the tide in favour of his re-election in the March 20 vote. The festivities began with morning prayers on Hoping (Peace) island in the northern tip of Taiwan, where Chen, flanked by religious leaders, beat a gong and set free a flock of white doves to symbolise peace. "We should stand up and use the most simple, but warm gesture of holding hands to form a democratic Great Wall. This will send a clear message to the world: We love Taiwan. We want peace," Chen told about a thousand cheering supporters. Chen's campaign is centred on a referendum to be held during the election that would ask voters to back greater missile defences against China, which sees Taiwan as a renegade province that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. Beijing views the referendum as a dry run for an eventual vote on independence. The huge "Hand in Hand Taiwan" human chain aims to span the 597 km (370 mile) length of Taiwan. Organisers say more than 1.2 million people would link hands at 2:28 p.m. (0628 GMT) to mark the anniversary of the "2-28 incident" on February 28, 1947, when Nationalist troops crushed island-wide rioting by people angered by government corruption. The massacre, in which at least 18,000 people were killed, had been a taboo subject until political reforms were introduced by the Nationalists in the early 1990s. ELECTION SUPPORT "The 2-28 incident is seen as a symbol of local people against external force. Now, of course, the DPP wants to reinforce the idea of Taiwan as an independent country against China," said Chao Chien-min, a political science professor at the National Chengchi University. "The DPP aims to consolidate its core pro-independence supporters, who have been hit by the economic downturn and are less certain about voting for Chen this time," Chao said. Taiwan split from China after a 1949 civil war, when Chiang Kai-shek's defeated Nationalist government retreated to the island. The Nationalists ruled Taiwan for more than five decades, until they were ousted by Chen in 2000. Local opinion polls show Chen and Nationalist candidate Lien Chan locked in a close race. A survey of 1,161 voters by the mass circulation United Daily News found 40 percent would vote for Lien against 37 percent for Chen if the election was held today. |
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