Taipei’s annual Eid al-Fitr celebrations yesterday returned to Daan Forest Park after a two-year hiatus, with about 10,000 attendees enjoying an array of attractions, including a halal bazaar, outdoor cinema and interactive cultural exchange booths.
Festivalgoers were required to wear masks and observe social distancing amid rising COVID-19 cases nationwide.
They were also required to show proof that they had received at least two doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine to enter venues such as the main stage, outdoor cinema and cultural experience area, organizers said, adding that attendees were also not allowed to eat or drink at the festival.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Indonesian festivalgoers Adi Putri, Dew and Tini said that despite high COVID-19 case numbers, their employers had still encouraged them to attend, asking only that they wear a mask and stay vigilant in avoiding close physical contact.
Ani, who is also Indonesian and said she has lived in Taiwan for eight years, said that although she had come with friends from her home country, they decided to stay out of the festival’s main venues as there was “too much hustle and bustle.”
However, she said some of her friends, many of whom work as caregivers for older people, were unable to attend because their employers had asked them not to go to events with large crowds amid the current outbreak.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said in his speech at the opening of the festival that after a two-year pandemic-imposed hiatus, the city had resolved to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Taipei this year despite the challenges.
Eid al-Fitr, also known as the Festival of Breaking the Fast, marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-dusk fasting of Ramadan.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as