Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday called on the leader of the campaign to oust President Chen Shui-bian (
The protest has been billed as the climax of a campaign urging Chen to resign over allegations that his family and members of his inner circle abused their relationship to him for personal financial gain.
The protesters have been told to wear red to symbolize their anger at Chen as they surround the sprawling Presidential Office building and nearby Ketagalan Boulevard where thousands of foreign and local dignitaries and students are scheduled to hold an official ceremony.
"[Shih] Ming-teh (
Lu said that she hoped Shih and his supporters would not do anything radical that would undermine the nation's dignity and tarnish its image on one of its most important holidays.
Lu made the remarks yesterday afternoon while addressing a religious ceremony in Taitung County.
Shih has called on 2 million protesters to join him in a "siege" tomorrow of the Presidential Office building from four directions.
Organizers claimed that the target of the siege will be the president alone, not the Double Ten National Day celebration nor the attending guests.
Lu said that life is short and one must make the most of it. Individuals must also take into consideration that when the day comes, he or she does not have any regrets.
"Don't envy me or President A-Bian [Chen's nickname] because we are the ones who bear the plight of the nation's 23 million people," she said. "The higher the position, the bigger the risk and the harsher the criticism. The President and I are willing to accept all criticisms with an open mind."
While she and Chen have exerted themselves to make the country a better place, she said some people are still unsatisfied.
"We can only make more effort to do a better job," she said.
In related news, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned yesterday that China could launch a fresh diplomatic attempt to lure away allies from the island as it prepares to celebrate Double Ten National Day.
Ministry Spokesman Michel Lu (
He said Beijing had changed its behavior in recent years, often aggressively courting Taipei's diplomatic partners.
"The Chinese Communists have repeatedly chosen some dates that are critical to Taiwan to announce their diplomatic offensives," he said.
"Their purpose is aimed at embarrassing Taiwan," Michael Lu said, in what he called Beijing's "zero-sum" game to squeeze Taipei's international space.
Also see stories:
Police organize forces for planned `siege'
Wang prays for a smooth Double Ten National Day
Analysis: Yu's raising of sovereignty issue linked to personal goals
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
KONG-REY: A woman was killed in a vehicle hit by a tree, while 205 people were injured as the storm moved across the nation and entered the Taiwan Strait Typhoon Kong-rey slammed into Taiwan yesterday as one of the biggest storms to hit the nation in decades, whipping up 10m waves, triggering floods and claiming at least one life. Kong-rey made landfall in Taitung County’s Chenggong Township (成功) at 1:40pm, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The typhoon — the first in Taiwan’s history to make landfall after mid-October — was moving north-northwest at 21kph when it hit land, CWA data showed. The fast-moving storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 184kph, with gusts of up to 227kph, CWA data showed. It was the same strength as Typhoon Gaemi, which was the most
RSS