DPP presidential candidate Chen Shui-bian (
Chen also repeated his offer to China's leaders of conducting a visit of peace to the mainland, saying the pair would be prepared to go after they are elected next March but before their inauguration in May.
Chen timed his announcement to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Kaohsiung Incident (
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
As a victim of the Kaohsiung Incident, Lu said she had been jailed for over 1,900 days because of a 20-minute speech she made at the rally 20 years ago, but that now she was ready to step onto a new stage to lead women in sharing the responsibility of ruling the country.
"Even the United States, which was able to send men to the moon 30 years ago, has failed to put a woman in the Oval Office. We will strive to realize this dream 98 days from now in Taiwan," she said.
Yesterday, on the 20th anniversary of the Kaohsiung Incident, Lu appealed to the public to carefully review the current presidential candidates, especially as to what they had done during the Kaohsiung Incident.
"Before casting your ballots in the presidential election, please make sure you understand that a candidate who did a lot of bad things in the past could not possibly do the right things after being elected, "she said.
It was a clear reference to James Soong (宋楚瑜), former KMT stalwart and now independent presidential candidate, whom DPP leaders have accused of "suppressing democracy" during the Kaohsiung Incident. Soong was Director General of the Government Information Office at the time.
Lu has already obtained the endorsement of influential DPP senior members to team up with Chen.
Following the formal announcement, Lu delivered an acceptance speech, accompanied by 10 "outstanding" women and women legislators.
It was not only for her role in the women's rights movement that Lu received praise yesterday, but also for her efforts in pushing forward Taiwan's democratic reforms.
A few days after the 1979 protest, scores of activists -- including Lu -- were arrested in a crackdown that many say helped unify Taiwan's loosely organized opposition forces. The dissidents went on to form the DPP, Taiwan's largest opposition party.
Chen told his supporters packed into a Taipei hotel auditorium yesterday that he and Lu ``will always pursue democratic reforms and stand on the right side of history.'' He said that the best phrase to describe Lu was one of those ``women who are most beautiful for their devotion to their quests (
Lu, a lawyer and feminist, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on sedition charges but was released in 1985 on medical parole. She served a term in the Legislative Yuan and is currently the commissioner of Taoyuan County.
Chen, 48, a lawyer and former Taipei mayor, became involved in politics by defending activists arrested after the Kaohsiung Incident in 1979.
His campaign staffers have stressed that a female running mate could strengthen his image as a new breed of politician who can bring long-needed reforms to Taiwan.
Lu isn't the first woman to run for vice president in Taiwan, though. In the 1996 presidential election, attorney Wang Ching-feng (?y?M峰) campaigned with independent candidate Chen Li-an (3紡i|w).
The Taipei MRT is open all night tonight following New Year’s Eve festivities, and is offering free rides from nearby Green Line stations. Taipei’s 2025 New Year’s Eve celebrations kick off at Taipei City Hall Square tonight, with performances from the boy band Energy, the South Korean girl group Apink, and singers Gigi Leung (梁詠琪) and Faith Yang (楊乃文). Taipei 101’s annual New Year’s firework display follows at midnight, themed around Taiwan’s Premier12 baseball championship. Estimates say there will be about 200,000 people in attendance, which is more than usual as this year’s celebrations overlap with A-mei’s (張惠妹) concert at Taipei Dome. There are
LOOKING FOR WHEELS: The military is seeking 8x8 single-chassis vehicles to test the new missile and potentially replace the nation’s existing launch vehicles, the source said Taiwan is developing a hypersonic missile based on the Ching Tien (擎天) supersonic cruise missile, and a Czech-made truck has been tentatively selected as its launch vehicle, a source said yesterday. The Ching Tien, formerly known as Yun Feng (雲峰, “Cloud Peak”), is a domestically developed missile with a range of 1,200km to 2,000km being deployed in casemate-type positions as of last month, an official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The hypersonic missile to be derived from the Ching Tien would feature improved range and a mobile launch platform, while the latter would most likely be a 12x12 single chassis
UP AND DOWN: The route would include a 16.4km underground section from Zuoying to Fongshan and a 9.5km elevated part from Fongshan to Pingtung Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday confirmed a project to extend the high-speed rail (HSR) to Pingtung County through Kaohsiung. Cho made the announcement at a ceremony commemorating the completion of a dome at Kaohsiung Main Station. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications approved the HSR expansion in 2019 using a route that branches off a line from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District (左營). The project was ultimately delayed due to a lack of support for the route. The Zuoying route would have trains stop at the Zuoying Station and return to a junction before traveling southward to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝).
Parts of the nation, including in the south, could experience temperatures as low as 7°C early tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. A strong continental cold air mass coupled with the effect of radiative cooling would bring cold weather to several northern cities and counties, and could even affect areas as far south as Tainan early tomorrow, the CWA said. Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan counties would experience temperatures below 10°C until this evening, according to cold surge advisories issued by the weather agency. The weather across the nation is forecast to remain
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