CNN Web News : Human chain protest spans Taiwan

[yyiy (YYYYYY)]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/02/28/taiwan.protest.reut/index.html

Human chain protest spans Taiwan
Saturday, February 28, 2004 Posted: 2:57 AM EST (0757 GMT)


TAIPEI, Taiwan (Reuters) -- Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian
and more than one million of his supporters have formed a
human chain down the length of the island in its biggest ever
protest against China.

The day-long demonstration to oppose China's deployment of
nearly 500 missiles aimed at Taiwan is seen as Chen's best
chance of rallying support for his re-election in a March 20
vote.

After saying prayers and releasing a flock of white doves in
the morning, the protesters raised joined hands and shouted
"Yes Taiwan," "Oppose Missiles" and "Love Peace" down the 500km
(310 mile) west coast of Taiwan.

"We formed a great wall of democracy and a great wall of peace,
" Chen told thousands of cheering supporters waving flags and
blowing horns in the northern county of Miaoli.

"We showed the world our determination to recognise Taiwan and
protect Taiwan," Chen said, flanked by former president Lee Teng-hui
, who backs his re-election.

Chen's campaign is centred on a controversial referendum to be
held during the election that will ask voters to back greater
missile defences against China.

Beijing, which says Taiwan is a renegade province that must be
reunited, by force if necessary, views the referendum as a dry
run for a vote on independence that it says could lead to war.

The "Hand in Hand Taiwan" rally was inspired by a human chain in
the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania in 1989, when
more than two million people called for independence from the
Soviet Union.

Organisers say at least 1.2 million people had signed up for the
event, which also marked the anniversary of the "2-28 incident"
on February 28, 1947, when Chinese Nationalist troops crushed
island-wide rioting by people angered by official graft.

"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, referring to Chen's
Democratic Progressive Party.

"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," he 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.

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.

"We fought hard for our democracy. If we don't stand up and let our
voice be heard, China will not take us seriously. Our democracy will
amount to nothing," said businessman Chang Ping-chen, who joined the
chain in Taipei with 20 family members, including his 65-year-old
father and two-year-old daughter.

Lien and tens of thousands of his supporters held a blood drive to
commemorate the day, also known as Taiwan's Peace Memorial Day. They
hugged each other at 2:28 p.m, to mark the anniversary of the "2-28
incident."



--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) 
◆ From: 61.62.132.81
→ losfer:現在還落後3%,大家努力吧~
→ joggingman:哇 聯合報扁對連是40:37 加油衝贏百萬票
→ scot:不要看TVBS的 要看山水民調 只差0.2了
→ buc:這篇從開頭就寫這是選舉活動了....
→ spookyfox:選舉活動又如何？藍營行嗎？
→ buc:別太激動我又不是藍的 只是說沒寫出真意
→ yyiy:所以我才說要帶國旗 提昇層次為國家運動
→ balaside:It's a good start!!!
→ yyiy:anyway,今天也算是成功向國際發聲了 :D
→ yyiy:下一步就是更重要的公投和大選了 加油!!
→ spookyfox:抱歉  誤會 buc 了  sorry x200%